PORT TOWNSEND — Jefferson County has updated its public records code to prepare for sheriff’s deputies wearing body cameras.
The unanimous resolution passed Monday by the three-member board of county commissioners adds a section for body-worn camera recordings, and a separate ordinance established a fee schedule, an estimate based on staff time and the use of software to redact certain portions of video.
The sheriff’s office is planning to deploy body-worn cameras within the next two months, according to county documents.
“Sometimes (video) needs to be redacted to comply with exemptions that are in the (state) law,” Ken Hugoniot, the county’s public records administrator, told commissioners Monday.
Often, it’s to protect an individual’s right to privacy, he said, citing examples of minors, deceased or injured people, a request from victims or witnesses for non-disclosure of their identity or personal identifying health care information.
Costs are calculated on a per-minute basis of staff time and are based on timed studies completed by the Seattle Police Department and Spokane Police Department, Hugoniot said.
Adjustments to the fee schedule were made for actual costs based on wages and benefits for a Jefferson County employee who would perform the redaction, a formula estimated to be about 49 cents per minute.
Hugoniot used an example of a five-minute video requiring about 55 minutes of staff time for targeted audio and video redactions. In such a case, the cost for the public record would be about $27, he said.
“We already have the software as part of the package, and staff has already been training on it,” he said.
“We don’t make any money on doing this,” Sheriff Joe Nole told commissioners. “It just covers that extra time that staff takes to do this.”
Once a specific recording has been made, there would be no cost if a second individual requested it, Hugoniot said.
Recordings also would be free for anyone using them in legal proceedings, he said.
The resolution also added an optional request for review by the prosecuting attorney in cases where a public records request was made and the requestor believes they haven’t been produced by the county.
The change was added after the state Supreme Court ruled San Juan County’s code could not require the administrative review by the prosecuting attorney. Jefferson County modeled its code after San Juan County’s and adjusted its language Monday to include an optional review instead.
The administrative review was meant to eliminate unnecessary Public Records Act lawsuits, according to Jefferson County analysis in its agenda review.
________
Managing editor Brian McLean can be reached by email at bmclean@peninsuladailynews.com.
