Commission: Police Body Camera Video "Clearly Public Records"

Videos of police actions recorded by body cameras are "clearly public records" that fall under the Maryland Public Information Act, the chairman of a state commission said Tuesday.

Frederic Smalkin, a former federal judge who is chairman of a 22-member commission tasked with recommending statewide best practices for police body cameras, made his remarks during the panel's first meeting. As it begins its work, the commission is reviewing a document on other states' policies that has been put together by the Governor's Office of Crime Control and Prevention.

The panel will meet on Sept. 1 to vote on recommendations. It will submit the suggestions on Oct. 1 to state lawmakers and the Maryland Police Training Commission, which is tasked with putting the regulations together by Jan. 1.

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