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Supreme Court: Dash-Cam Video Public Record

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – The Ohio Supreme Court has ruled that police dash-cam video is a public record that should be released upon request.

The court’s unanimous decision Tuesday also said some portions of videos could be shielded on a case-by-case basis if the material is deemed part of an investigation.

The ruling came in a challenge brought against the State Highway Patrol by The Cincinnati Enquirer. The newspaper had requested video from a high-speed chase last year on Interstate 71. The state said the footage was a confidential law enforcement investigatory record and thus an exception under public records law.

The Enquirer argued that the video wasn’t made during an investigation but objectively records the incident in progress – as anyone nearby could have seen it.