After Atlanta police officer Marquee Kelley fatally shot local activist Oscar Cain Jr. in the back in March 2019 — with his dashboard and body cameras turned off — the department sought ways to bring more transparency and accountability to policing in the city.
The Atlanta Police Department had first deployed body cameras in 2016, however a report from the city auditor’s office found that the cameras only captured about 33% of calls to which officers were dispatched between November 2017 and May 2018. Cain’s killing helped spur stricter regulations regarding body-worn cameras for police.
Today, Atlanta Police’s standard operating procedures require officers to activate their body cameras in most situations where the officer is interacting with a member of the public in an official capacity. APD officers must also turn on their body camera upon request or during any interaction with a juvenile. (Officers are expected to turn off their body cameras in settings with a reasonable expectation of privacy, like a locker room, dressing room, or public restroom.)
Body camera footage can be a key safeguard for Black Atlanta residents, who make up a disproportionate share of the city’s police brutality victims, according to the Atlanta Police Department’s use of force tracker.
If you feel you have been mistreated by a police officer, here’s everything you need to know about how to procure footage of your experience so justice can be served.
How has body camera footage impacted policing outcomes?
While some studies have found improvement in policing outcomes after the introduction of body cameras, others have found no impact — or a negative effect — on police-community interactions.
In 2022, the National Institute of Justice did a review of 70 studies on body camera use nationwide and found that there were no consistent nor statistically significant effects on use of force or assaults on police officers. They concluded that more studies needed to be conducted to fully understand their efficacy.
In what scenarios should I request body camera footage?
Police brutality or misconduct often lead victims to seek body camera footage. But these recordings can also be useful if an officer is present for interaction between two or more citizens that has escalated to legal proceedings. Similarly, if an officer were present for a car accident, the footage could serve as an objective account of what happened and help determine who was at fault.
How do I begin the process?
In Georgia, you can request records orally or in writing — but only written requests can be enforced in court.
The Atlanta Police Department has an online portal where you can submit a records request form. You can also reach out via email at openrecords-police@atlantaga.gov.
What if I would like to request body camera footage from another metro-Atlanta police department?
While Georgia State Police officers are not required to wear body cameras, officers at all the metro Atlanta police departments are mandated to do so. That includes Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton, Gwinnett, and MARTA police departments. Some of these departments have their own portals; here are the email addresses for each.
How long do police in Georgia store their footage?
That depends on how long ago the interaction took place and what the footage shows. All Georgia law enforcement departments that use body-worn cameras must retain video recordings, dash cameras, and drones for 180 days.
Any video that is part of an ongoing criminal investigation or contains footage of a vehicular accident, an individual being detained or arrested, or use of force by an officer must be kept by the department for 30 months.
Video footage from an investigation that is still active and ongoing can be withheld. Once the investigation is complete, the footage becomes public record, after which the department cannot legally refuse to turn over the recording.
How do I make the request?
You can begin a request for body camera footage by citing the following Georgia law before including the public record you’re seeking: Pursuant to the Georgia Open Records Act O.C.G.A § 50-10-70 et, seq…
Here is a template that you can follow to effectively format your request.
While the template and the citation can be useful to signal to the open records custodian that you are aware of your rights to public information, neither are necessary to have your request fulfilled.
The person who is fulfilling your request will need basic information to get you the footage you are looking for, like the date, your name, and the names of any officers who were involved and/or present.
How long will it take for my request to be fulfilled?
Georgia law gives the agency three business days to process and respond to requests, either with the video or with a timetable for how long it will take them to release the video.
The agency then has up to 90 days from the date of the request to produce the video.
What can I do once I have the footage?
If you have had a negative interaction with an Atlanta police officer, you can report it directly to the department or to the Atlanta Citizens Review Board, with or without the body camera footage of the incident.
Once you have obtained footage of an incident, you can also consult a lawyer about legal action that you might want to take against the officer. However, it’s important to note that officers are often granted qualified immunity for actions taken while on the job. It is difficult — and potentially costly — to win these cases.
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