This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A bill to allow quicker release of videos from police body cameras in high-profile cases took a first step Friday — coming after long fights over such footage from a controversial shooting last year of a teen near the Rio Grande homeless shelter.
HB381 would allow direct appeals to district court if police or prosecutors deny an open-records request for such footage by asserting it is protected "solely on the grounds of a pending criminal action."
Its sponsor, Rep. Paul Ray, R-Clearfield, said a judge could then quickly weigh whether public interest in the release of footage — possibly to calm claims of police brutality — outweighs protecting it for criminal action.
Ray said the bill could have led to quicker release of video about the shooting of Somali refugee Abdullahi "Abdi" Mohamed, who survived but was put in a medically induced coma and hospitalized for weeks. The shooting led people around the homeless shelter to attack police with bottles and rocks.
The American Civil Liberties Union sued for access to the footage, but was denied and appeals took time. The video was not seen for nearly a year, when it was finally shown in court.
Body-camera footage recorded the police yelling, "Put it down," "Drop it," "Police" multiple times before shots were fired.
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill later ruled the two Salt Lake City police officers involved in the shooting were justified in their actions.
The bill passed the House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee unanimously Friday and was sent to the full House. It was supported by various groups, including the ACLU and the Utah Media Coalition.