Milton-Freewater council to vote on new fees for police body-camera footage
By Dan Thesman on Monday, April 13th, 2026 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
MILTON-FREEWATER – The Milton-Freewater City Council will consider establishing new public records fees for police body-worn camera footage during its meeting tonight (Monday) in the Milton Freewater Public Library’s Albee Room. The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. at 8 SW Eighth Ave.
The proposed fee structure, submitted by Police Chief Joe Shurtz, aims to recoup costs associated with the physical materials and staff time required to locate, review, and redact video recordings.
Under the proposal, citizens requesting body-worn camera footage would be charged a base fee of $30 per request, delivered via USB drive or email link. Additional labor costs for necessary redactions would be set at $25 per hour.
The department is also seeking to formalize costs for other digital records. Requests for photos, 911 call recordings, and radio traffic delivered on a USB drive would carry a $25 fee plus a $25-per-hour charge for staff time. Physical thumb drives would be provided at a cost of $10 each.
The move follows the recent implementation of body-worn cameras by the Milton-Freewater Police Department. Shurtz noted in a memo to the council that the implementation of these fees should result in “minimal budget impact” because the costs of research and materials will be covered by the individuals requesting the data.
