How to get police and traffic camera video of a crash in Arizona

The public records law that gets you the video

Arizona Public Records Law, Ariz. Rev. Stat. Title 39, Chapter 1, Article 2 (§§ 39-121 to 39-129), and § 39-171

Promptly; receipt within 5 business days

Public records in the custody of any officer are open to inspection by any person during office hours (A.R.S. § 39-121), and any person may ask to examine or be furnished copies, printouts or photographs of any public record; the custodian “shall promptly furnish” them and may charge a fee if the facilities are available (A.R.S. § 39-121.01(D)(1)). Public bodies include the state, every county, city, town and political subdivision, and their departments (A.R.S. § 39-121.01(A)(2)), so DPS, city police, sheriffs and ADOT are all covered. At the time of the request you must affirm that the record is not for a commercial purpose, or, if it is, give a statement of the intended use (A.R.S. §§ 39-121.01(D)(1), 39-121.03(A)); using a record as evidence or research for evidence in a court action is not a commercial purpose (A.R.S. § 39-121.03(D)). The Attorney General’s Agency Handbook (Chapter 6, revised 2018) still says a non-commercial requester need not state that the request is non-commercial, citing LaWall v. R.R. Robertson (2015); the current statute requires that affirmation, so follow the statute. Deadline: the law sets no number of days. Each public body must post the name, phone number and email of an employee or department that can provide records, and that contact must acknowledge receipt within five business days unless the body uses a centralized online portal that gives a receipt on submission (A.R.S. § 39-171). Access is deemed denied if the custodian fails to respond promptly (A.R.S. § 39-121.01(E)). The Attorney General’s handbook says “prompt” means quick to act or done without delay (West Valley View v. Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office, 2007), that the agency bears the burden of proving its response was prompt in the circumstances (Phoenix New Times v. Arpaio, 2008), and that an agency may take the time reasonably necessary to make redactions (Judicial Watch v. City of Phoenix, 2011). The Ombudsman-Citizens’ Aide says the law does not require a written request for non-commercial matters, but if an oral request is denied you should submit a written one to the head of the public body, and suggests calling after a week to confirm the request was received. Fees: the handbook says an agency may charge for the cost of time, equipment and personnel used in producing copies, but not for searching for the records, and may not charge a copying fee when you only inspect. For video, a county, city, town or other political subdivision may set a onetime fee per copy of up to $46 per video-hour reviewed for a request to a local law enforcement agency (A.R.S. § 39-129), and DPS sets its own video fee by statute (A.R.S. § 41-1734(E)); DPS charges $21.33 for the first half hour and $21.33 for each additional half hour, plus a delivery fee ($9.00 by email or its portal, $15.00 on DVD, $20.00 on a flash drive). A victim of a part I crime under the statewide uniform crime reporting program (or the victim’s attorney, or an immediate family member if the victim was killed or incapacitated), and a victim of a domestic violence or sexual offense, has the right to one free copy of the police report, audio recordings and video recordings from the investigating agency, which must prioritize the request (A.R.S. § 39-127).

Police body camera and dashcam video

DPS: date, place, name; local: no rule

State troopers: a specific statute governs DPS video recordings. DPS may release a copy to the public only if everyone shown other than peace officers consents (a parent, guardian, next of kin or estate may consent for a deceased person) or identifying information has been redacted, or if DPS reasonably determines there is an important public purpose, such as an arrest for an offense that may result in incarceration, officers using physical force, or an allegation of misconduct (A.R.S. § 41-1734(A)). Before release DPS must review the video; it must redact information that may identify people where a reasonable expectation of privacy exists, unless everyone required has consented or the video shows an arrest of the kind listed above, but in a public place it need not redact people who appear only incidentally, and it may withhold or redact where privacy, confidentiality or the best interests of the state outweigh release, or to protect a victim’s constitutional rights (A.R.S. § 41-1734(B)). DPS must deny a request that does not, in writing, give the date and approximate time of the recording, the specific location, and the name of one or more persons known to be a subject of it; you may resubmit with the missing information (A.R.S. § 41-1734(C), (D)). DPS says body camera video it releases has a medium blur applied to the entire video; for standard redactions of specific portions, email PublicRecords_bwc@azdps.gov with the incident number and “standard redaction request” in the subject line, the start and end times, and the trooper’s name; standard redactions of up to one hour of video are at no additional charge, and longer ones may cost more. DPS’s Public Records Unit lists body-worn camera, dash camera and surveillance video, photographs, and dispatch radio and 911 recordings among the records it releases, and says dispatch and 911 recordings are kept one calendar year. City and county police: we found no Arizona statute specific to body camera or dashcam release by local agencies, so the general public records law and its exceptions govern, with a fee cap of $46 per video-hour reviewed (A.R.S. § 39-129). The Ombudsman-Citizens’ Aide’s booklet lists crime scene videotapes among records held to be public (KPNX-TV v. Superior Court, 1995). Several statutes limit what you will see: law enforcement agencies must redact a crime victim’s identifying and locating information (date of birth, Social Security number, license number, address, phone, email, workplace) from records of the criminal case (A.R.S. § 13-4434(B), (H)); a crime witness’s personal identifying information may not be disclosed without the witness’s written consent, a court order, or the witness’s address being the crime location (A.R.S. § 39-123.01(A)); and any law enforcement body camera, dashcam or other video depicting a deceased minor or the location of the death is confidential except to the parent, guardian, estate and others listed (A.R.S. § 39-175). Example, Phoenix Police Department only: its portal takes On Body Camera Audio/Video and Surveillance Video requests; under its new fee schedule (effective November 2, 2026 on its records page; November 1, 2026 in its September 23, 2026 news release) the first, medium-blur copy of a video is free and supplemental standard redactions cost $23.00 per 30 minutes of video; until the new schedule starts, its portal FAQ lists $4.00 for a body camera or surveillance video request, so confirm the fee with Phoenix before you pay; the City said video requests needing review and redaction can take two years or more. Retention: we found no statute setting how long police must keep video. The State Library, Archives and Public Records schedule for all public bodies (GS-1031) sets 185 days from the recording date for non-evidentiary law enforcement recordings (agencies may keep them longer), and until final disposition of the underlying matter for recordings with content relevant to an investigation or prosecution. The same schedule sets 30 days after recording for communications records, which include 9-1-1 recordings and computer-aided dispatch records; DPS says it keeps its own dispatch radio and 911 recordings one calendar year, so ask a local agency for 911 audio at once.

When police can hold video back

No statutory exemption; harm test

Arizona’s public records law has no general written exemption for investigation records. Instead, the courts allow a custodian to withhold records where confidentiality, privacy or the best interests of the state outweigh the presumption of disclosure, and the state has the burden of overcoming that presumption (Scottsdale Unified School District v. KPNX, 1998, and Carlson v. Pima County, 1984, as summarized in the Attorney General’s Agency Handbook). The best-interests standard allows withholding only when release “would have an important and harmful effect on the duties of the officials or agency in question,” and an officer who withholds on that basis must specifically demonstrate the harm if challenged in superior court (Arizona Board of Regents v. Phoenix Newspapers, 1991; Cox Arizona Publications v. Collins, 1993). The Ombudsman-Citizens’ Aide’s booklet applies the same test to police investigatory reports (Little v. Gilkinson, 1981) and notes a case ordering release of police investigative files over 20 years old where no investigation was ongoing or contemplated and the department showed no specific harm (Church of Scientology v. City of Phoenix Police Dept., 1979). A defendant’s right to a fair trial can also justify withholding (United States v. Loughner, 2011, per the handbook). Where only part of a record is confidential, the agency should release the rest with the confidential material removed, and must show specific reasons and a good-faith basis for withholding a whole record instead of redacting it (Carlson; KPNX-TV v. Superior Court, as summarized in the handbook). Specific statutes: an agency may deny an unredacted crash report if release would be harmful to a criminal investigation (A.R.S. § 28-667(E)); DPS may withhold or redact video when privacy, confidentiality or the best interests of the state outweigh release (A.R.S. § 41-1734(B)(2)); and in a court action seeking a criminal investigation or prosecution record that shows the image of a witness under 18 or a crime victim, the requester must establish that the public interest in disclosure outweighs the witness’s or victim’s privacy (A.R.S. § 39-121.04(A)). DPS says requests involving active investigations may take longer. When it ends: no statute sets a date when this kind of withholding stops, but two statutes loosen once the case is over: a witness’s name redacted at the witness’s request may be disclosed after the agency receives notice of final disposition of the criminal case (A.R.S. § 39-123.01(C)(3)), and the same applies to a victim’s name redacted at the victim’s request (A.R.S. § 13-4434(G)(5)). If video is withheld because charges are pending, such as in a DUI or hit-and-run case, ask again when the case ends.

Do traffic cameras in Arizona record?

ADOT says it does not record

ADOT has said repeatedly that it does not record its traffic camera feeds. Its July 10, 2017 list of common questions answers a crash victim asking for traffic camera footage: “ADOT does not record our camera footage, so no footage is available.” Its May 9, 2016 and February 13, 2013 posts say the cameras “are not used for enforcement of traffic laws, and the images are not recorded by ADOT,” its October 25, 2016 post says ADOT doesn’t record from them, and its October 23, 2013 post on the Traffic Operations Center says “ADOT does NOT record the video.” These are older ADOT blog posts, all still posted on azdot.gov in October 2026; we found no newer ADOT statement either way, and no ADOT records retention rule for camera images. Camera views appear on az511.gov, where ADOT said in 2016 that Phoenix and Tucson area images refresh every five seconds. If an ADOT camera covered the crash, ask anyway, at once: submit a public records request through ADOT’s Public Record Center (azdot.govqa.us), or by mail to ADOT Risk Management, 1655 W. Jackson Street, MD 128A, Phoenix, AZ 85007 (602-712-7744), naming the highway, direction, nearest milepost or cross street, date and time window. If a city or county runs traffic cameras at the crash location (ADOT notes that some signals at highway interchanges belong to the city), send that public body a separate request.

Red-light and speed cameras

Local only; banned on state highways

Arizona law bars the state or a local authority from using a photo enforcement system on a state highway to identify violators of the traffic signal or speed articles of the traffic code (A.R.S. § 28-1206). A photo enforcement system is a radar unit or sensor linked to a camera or other recording device that produces photographs, video or recorded images of a vehicle’s license plate to identify those violators (A.R.S. § 28-601(14), 28-1201). Off state highways, the statutes regulate systems run by a local authority or state agency rather than banning them: at least two signs and a speed limit sign must warn drivers (mobile units on streets posted 40 mph or less are exempt from that sign rule), with signs removed or covered when the system is not operating, and a court may dismiss citations if the standards were not in effect (A.R.S. § 28-1204); a system may not sit within 600 feet of a posted speed limit change except around a marked school crossing (A.R.S. § 28-1203); a red-light camera violation may result in a ticket only if the signal conforms to the state manual (A.R.S. § 28-1205); and first responders on duty are exempt (A.R.S. § 28-1202). A law enforcement agency must review the recorded evidence before a citation issues, and a photo enforcement company may not decide whether a violation occurred (A.R.S. § 28-1602(C), (D)); a person who gets a mailed notice of violation does not have to identify the person in the photo or respond to it (A.R.S. § 28-1602(A)). Which cities run cameras varies; we did not compile a current list. Access to images: we found no Arizona statute that closes or opens photo enforcement images specifically, so they fall under the general public records law and its privacy and best-interests limits; ask the city or police agency that runs the program, and do it quickly, because we found no statute setting how long those images are kept.

If your request is denied

Special action in superior court

If your request is denied, or the agency fails to respond promptly, which counts as a denial (A.R.S. § 39-121.01(E)), you may appeal through a special action in the superior court against the officer or public body under the rules of procedure for special actions (A.R.S. § 39-121.02(A)); a crime victim denied a record in the course of a criminal case in superior court may bring the special action within that criminal case. The court may award attorney fees and other legal costs reasonably incurred if you substantially prevail, and a person wrongfully denied access has a cause of action for damages resulting from the denial (A.R.S. § 39-121.02(B), (C)). Neither the statute nor the Rules of Procedure for Special Actions in force since January 1, 2025 sets a filing deadline that we found for this case, which the rules treat as a statutory original special action begun by a complaint in superior court (Rules 3 and 7); once the agency answers, the court must hold a return hearing within 30 days (Rule 7(f)). Do not wait anyway, because video that is not preserved can be discarded. Before court, you may ask a state agency’s custodian for an index of the records or categories withheld and the reasons, but that duty applies only to state agencies and expressly excludes DPS and ADOT’s Motor Vehicle Division (A.R.S. § 39-121.01(D)(2)). The Arizona Ombudsman-Citizens’ Aide, a legislative office independent of the Governor and the Attorney General, investigates complaints about public access laws, including against counties, cities and other local public bodies, and may hold hearings and issue subpoenas (A.R.S. § 41-1376.01(A), (C), (E)); it cannot reach active criminal investigation records (A.R.S. § 41-1376.01(C)(4)(b)). Contact it at 602-277-7292, Ombuds@azoca.gov, or 2020 N. Central Avenue, Suite 570, Phoenix, AZ 85004 (by appointment). The Ombudsman’s booklet suggests contacting it before filing a special action. Ask a lawyer about timing and procedure before you file.

What to do now

1. 1

   Send a written request today

   Write to the records unit of the agency that worked the crash asking for body camera, dashcam and dispatch recordings. For DPS, include the date and approximate time, the exact location and a person’s name.

2. 2

   Ask them to preserve the video

   The state schedule lets agencies discard non-evidentiary recordings after 185 days and 911 recordings after 30. Say in writing that you have requested the video and ask that it be kept.

3. 3

   Ask ADOT and the city about cameras

   ADOT says it does not record its freeway cameras, but ask through its Public Record Center anyway, and ask the city if it runs the signal. Post the crash on the bounty board for dashcam footage.

4. 4

   Push back on a denial or a delay

   A request not answered promptly counts as denied. Contact the Ombudsman-Citizens’ Aide (602-277-7292), or file a special action in superior court.

Frequently asked questions