Public Records Center

Making a request for police body-worn camera video

Per RCW 42.56.240(14) a request must include:

• The name of a person or persons involved in the incident; 
• The incident or case number;
• The date, time, and location of the incident or incidents; or
• The identification of a law enforcement or corrections officer involved in the incident or incidents.

Washington law does limit disclosure of body-worn videos in certain circumstances (see RCW. 42.56.240(14) for detail), such as when a video:

• Contains images of any areas of a medical facility, counseling, or therapeutic program office;
• Contains information that meets the definition of protected health information;
• Contains images of the interior of a place of residence where a person has a reasonable expectation of privacy;
• Contains images defined in the RCW as "intimate," i.e., nudity, partial nudity, sexually explicit content;
• Contains images of an identifiable minor;
• Contains images of a deceased person;
• Contains the identity or communications from a victim or witness of an incident involving domestic violence or sexual assault; or
• Contains images from an incident where a domestic violence or sexual assault victim or witness indicates a desire for non-disclosure of their recorded identity or communications.

In the above scenarios, the Public Records Office may release the video with the relevant video/audio redacted (blurred or blocked out) and/or audio redacted (sound removed). If none of the above scenarios exist, the video may be released un-redacted, depending on whether the victim has requested non-disclosure.

Public Disclosure of Video May Have a Redaction Fee

Washington law allows local law enforcement agencies to charge for reasonable costs for redacting video (see RCW 42.56.240(14) for detail). 

**Effective 1/1/2022, Longview will charge $41.80 per hour redaction redaction fee. This fee applies to Body Worn Camera video requests only. A 10% deposit will be required before the request is processed.