Phoenix council approves updated police public-records fees and extra staff to tackle backlog

Phoenix councilmembers on Thursday approved a package of changes to the Phoenix Police Department's public-records program designed to eliminate a backlog of requests and modernize the department's fee structure.

Assistant Director Court Hood and Police Administrator Amy Runquist told the council that the department's public records unit is managing a surge in requests—driven in part by commercial requesters seeking large quantities of video and incident data—and that video redaction in particular has created long delays. “One requestor submitted more than 100 separate video files, resulting in nearly 150 hours of footage and the equivalent of hundreds of labor hours to process,” Hood said during the presentation. The department said the backlog is now just below 40,000 requests and that body‑worn camera and video requests had the longest wait times—currently measured in years for some requests.

Under the approved proposal, most non‑commercial digital document requests will remain free; victims, family members and involved parties will receive records without charge. The revised schedule separates commercial and non‑commercial users and applies higher, tiered fees to commercial users whose business models rely on selling or monetizing records. The proposal removes a $5 flat deposit and introduces processes to let requesters review primary, medium‑blurred video at no charge and then identify clips for standard redaction if they want staff to perform the work.

Councilmembers repeatedly pressed staff about protections for victims and involved parties. Councilwoman Hernandez asked whether an individual listed as a “suspect” in a report would still be eligible for free copies; department staff said involved parties and their representatives would continue to receive records at no cost. “If any involved party to an incident requests a record, no matter how they’re listed on a report, they would receive that record free of charge,” a department official told the council.

To address capacity, the council approved authorization for 10 permanent nonsworn employees, reassignments of six permanent positions within the department, and the hiring of 19 temporary full‑time employees to work through the backlog. The department projected that adjusted fee revenue would largely offset ongoing costs for the new permanent positions; staff estimated annual fee revenue in the range described during the presentation would cover those costs.

Opponents raised concerns that increasing fees means the department is asking residents to pay for accountability; supporters said the plan shifts costs from the general public to commercial actors who monetize records. Vice Mayor Hajj Washington, who said the goal is to reduce wait times “from years to days,” moved to approve the item. The council approved the measure in roll call (vote recorded in the minutes). The department said it expects to have the newly authorized staff hired and trained by January with the objective of eliminating the backlog within one year of those hires being trained.