State lawmakers propose bill to allow police to deny requests for bodycam footage being monetized

If you're scrolling on TikTok or Instagram reels, you might often see videos pop up with titles like She Blamed the Tequila or Rough Night Ends in DUI Arrest. And they're largely videos of young women, specifically police body cam, showing them being arrested for driving under the influence. But how did these accounts get all of these clips? Well, here in New Jersey, they go through a process called the Open Public Records Act, or OPRA. Some municipalities say they've been inundated with these types of requests. We've had to hire additional staff to handle the number of OPRA requests and the redacting and dealing with all this body-worn camera footage. Montville Police Chief Andrew Caggiano says he believes the practice has gone too far. They'll start with, want all the DWI arrests for a specific month, and then we'll get a second request saying, well, we just want the female. And they'll request a body-worn camera footage from those. Depending on the clicks they get and ads and so forth, these people make money off this. OPRA requests for police body cam are largely granted, other than if the video is part of an active investigation. But a new bill could exempt law enforcement from having to hand over that video if it's going to be used for commercial purposes. Like monetizing it online. The bill does state that news media would be exempt from the limitations, but some still call it an overreach. The New Jersey Foundation for Open Government told News 12 in a statement, while alternatives to the proposal should be considered, the current proposal, in our view, would likely harm transparency without any corresponding public benefit. This isn't about transparency. This isn't about the accountability of law enforcement. This is about monetizing, you know... Somebody's worst day for someone else's gain. In Montville, Christine Qualey, News 12 New Jersey.