Transparency is often heralded as an essential quality for the modern law enforcement agency. The ability of citizens to demand copies of public records plays a huge role toward that end but comes with its own costs. Law enforcement records, especially, can require a great deal of preparation and review before they are released to the public. Depending on the jurisdiction in which the request is made, it may be necessary for a law enforcement agency to manually review a document to ensure that legally protected information is redacted. When a citizen requests body camera footage, the review process can require an especially intensive review process.

A new law in Ohio aims to address that reality.

House Bill 315 was signed into law by Governor Mike DeWine on January 2. The statute allows government agencies to charge media outlets and members of the public the estimated costs of processing a public record before releasing it. The allowable charge is capped at $75 per hour of video requested, with a maximum allowed charge of $750.

When a citizen requests body camera footage, the review process can require an especially intensive review process.

Predictably, not everyone is happy about the legislation. Local news media spoke with Susan Gilles, a professor of law at Capital University. She expressed concern that the legislation is not “well thought through” and will make public records less accessible.

“The goal they’ve stated doesn’t match up with what they’ve passed, and I think it will be hard for law enforcement agencies to decide, if they start picking, who gets it without paying and who has to pay; that’s when I think they’re going to run into problems,” Gilles told NBC4.

Those “problems” could include lawsuits claiming discrimination, she added.

Governor DeWine, though, defended the policy as necessary.

“No law enforcement agency should ever have to choose between diverting resources for officers on the street to move them to administrative tasks like lengthy video redaction reviews for which agencies receive no compensation,” DeWine said in a statement.

The law will officially go into effect on April 2. DeWine said if the policy has “unforeseen consequences,” he will work with the legislature to amend the language.