The cost of getting a copy of a Portage police video is going up. The city council last week voted to raise the cost of getting footage of a video-recorded incident or arrest from $100 to $150, the maximum allowed by state law. The person requesting the video would also have to provide a blank tape or other media and cover the cost of shipping.
Police Chief Michael Candiano said that will bring Portage in line with Valparaiso, Chesterton and Porter County. "I know I sent the ordinance committee a list of all the different things that we have to do to prepare one of these videos, and $150 is probably a fraction of the cost that it takes," Candiano told council members.
He said it takes about 90 minutes, on average, for officers to review and redact a 30-minute video. The amount of video footage created by the Portage Police Department has increased over the years, going from a tape recorder in police cars to body cameras on officers, as well.
But Candiano said there may still be other options to get video footage, depending on the situation — like the discovery process for criminal cases. "There's some restrictions, but if they're involved in the video, they can come and view it at the police department," Candiano added. "So this is mainly for outside entities that want the videos for who knows what reason."
Portage police may also look for ways to make certain videos more accessible to media outlets, if there's a large amount of interest. "There is some differences between media outlets and their use, and just random people wanting copies of the video because if they have certain information they can get it," Candiano said.
Candiano says the rescue of Matthew Reum after several days in an overturned truck in December left his department inundated with media requests for video footage.
