St. George P. D.

Summary for researchers reviewing Utah BWCs and public-records policy (as of 2026). In Utah, body-worn camera footage is governed by both the Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA) and the Body-worn Camera Act (Title 77, Chapter 7a). Key points: - Agencies that use BWCs must have a written policy addressing activation, deactivation, privacy notices, storage, and retention. These BWCs policies must be publicly accessible when feasible. - BWCs records are generally public records under GRAMA, but disclosure is subject to GRAMA’s exemptions (e.g., notices about privacy, protected data, or specific exemptions for recordings made inside hospitals/health facilities or human service programs). - A particular BWC recording may be released under GRAMA if it is a public record and not exempt; certain BWCs recordings inside hospitals or health-care facilities are exempt unless narrowly permitted (e.g., if it depicts a crime, a death or serious injury, is the subject of a complaint or legal proceeding, involves an officer-involved critical incident, or is requested for reclassification as public). - Utah provides a multi-step appeals process for GRAMA responses: first to the agency’s Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), then to the Government Records Office Director, and finally to district court. - General GRAMA response timelines apply (up to 10 business days to respond to a request; 30-day windows for appeals; costs may apply). A few BWCs-specific deadlines exist: for certain high-visibility incidents (death/serious injury or officer-involved shooting), a 10-day window to release can be triggered by the incident. - “Public access level” for BWCs is generally broad, but subject to exemptions; agencies may redact or withhold portions as allowed by GRAMA. - The core statutory authority is Utah Code Title 63G (GRAMA) and Title 77, Chapter 7a (BWCs). If you need agency-specific public-release policies, you should request the policy documents from the relevant agency and consult the GRAMA Office for decisions on any disputed releases.