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

The public records law that gets you the video

Kentucky Open Records Act, KRS 61.870 to 61.884

5 business days to decide; copy cost

A public record includes photographs, tapes, discs, recordings and other documentation regardless of physical form prepared, owned, used, possessed or retained by a public agency (KRS 61.870(2)), and public agencies include state and local government offices, departments, city and county governments and bodies created by them (KRS 61.870(1)). Exceptions are strictly construed (KRS 61.871). Who may ask: since June 29, 2021, the right to inspect belongs to residents of the Commonwealth (KRS 61.872(1), (2)), defined as individuals living in Kentucky, domestic businesses with a Kentucky location, foreign businesses registered with the Secretary of State, people employed and working in Kentucky, owners of Kentucky real property, any individual or business authorized to act on behalf of one of these (for example, a lawyer you authorize), and qualifying news-gathering organizations (KRS 61.870(10)). Separately, any person has access to a public record relating to him or her or naming him or her, on presenting identification, subject to the exemptions (KRS 61.884). How: the custodian may require a signed written application with your printed name describing the records, delivered by hand, mail, fax or email to the address in the agency’s rules; no particular form may be required, and every agency must accept the Attorney General’s standardized form (KRS 61.872(2), 61.876(4)). Deadline: the agency must decide within five days, excepting Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays, and notify you in writing; a denial must cite the specific exception and briefly explain how it applies (KRS 61.880(1)). The Attorney General says the five days start the first business day after the agency receives the request. If a record is in active use, in storage or otherwise unavailable, the agency must say so immediately and set a place, time and date for inspection within five days, unless it gives a detailed explanation for a longer delay and the earliest date (KRS 61.872(5)). Fees: inspecting in person is free; copies for noncommercial use may cost no more than the actual cost of reproduction, including media and mechanical processing, but not staff time; staff costs may be charged only for a nonstandard or tailored format, or for commercial use (KRS 61.874(3), (4)). The Attorney General’s guide says ten cents a page has generally been deemed reasonable for paper and that the costs of redaction may not be passed on to the requester. We found no statute setting a separate fee for video. Example, Kentucky State Police: 10 cents per page, and $2 to $3 each for photos, compact discs, videotapes and diskettes.

Police body camera and dashcam video

Body cam: involved people view on site

Body cameras (KRS 61.168), meaning cameras worn by public safety officers (police, firefighters and certified first responders employed by a public agency): disclosure of body-worn camera recordings is governed by the Open Records Act except as this section provides, and retention by KRS 171.410 to 171.740 and the Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives’ regulations (KRS 61.168(2), (3)); we found no statute setting a specific retention period. An agency may elect not to disclose footage that shows, among other things, the inside of a private residence (unless its owner or lessee asks in writing for release under the Act), the inside of a medical facility or treatment program, health care information, a minor child, the body of a deceased person, nudity or sexual content, the identity of witnesses or confidential informants, or the serious injury or death of an officer (KRS 61.168(4)(a) to (n)). That option does not apply, and the Act’s ordinary rules and exceptions govern, if the footage shows an officer’s use of force, an incident leading to a detention or arrest, or an incident that is the subject of a formal complaint against the officer or agency (KRS 61.168(5)(a) to (c)). If you, or your personal representative (a court-appointed guardian, an attorney or agent with written authorization, a holder of your power of attorney, a parent or guardian of a minor shown, or, for a person who died, the estate’s representative, surviving spouse, parent or adult child, the deceased person’s attorney, or the parent or guardian of a surviving minor child), are directly involved in the incident and request it, the agency must make the recording available for viewing on its premises, as many times as you want, but need not give you a copy (KRS 61.168(1)(c), (5)(d)). Subject to the Open Records Act, a copy must be made for a Kentucky-licensed attorney representing the person directly involved who has not been disqualified for breaching such an affidavit and who signs an affidavit limiting its use to evaluating or preparing a court case or administrative proceeding or consulting insurers on coverage, and promising not to distribute it beyond experts and insurers bound by the same terms and to destroy it at the end; the agency may treat this as a commercial request and charge a reasonable production fee (KRS 61.169(1), (4)). Nothing in KRS 61.168 or 61.169 overrides KRS 17.150, the discovery rules in any court or administrative proceeding, or KRS 189A.100 (KRS 61.168(6)). Crash report confidentiality, KRS 189.635(6), covers accident reports and the information contained in them; that section does not mention body camera or other recordings. Dashboard cameras are outside the body camera law (KRS 61.168(1)(a)), so the Act and its exceptions govern them. DUI recordings (KRS 189A.100(2)): police may record the pursuit, the traffic stop and field sobriety tests or a test refusal for a suspected DUI; those recordings may be used for official purposes only (in court, by the prosecution and defense preparing for trial, and in administrative reviews and proceedings) and are otherwise confidential, and an official who shows them otherwise commits first-degree official misconduct. On the sentencing court’s order they are destroyed after the later of several events, including 26 months if the recording shows an actual motor vehicle accident and no appeal was filed, the end of all appeals, or the end of any civil case arising from the events recorded. Videos depicting a person’s death are exempt but must be made available for viewing at the agency, or an agreed location, to a victim shown, the victim’s immediate family or legal representative, any involved insurance company or its representative, and the legal representative of any involved party, among others; the person under investigation or charged with a related crime and that person’s family may not see them (KRS 61.878(1)(q), (6)). This exemption yields to KRS 61.168 for body camera footage.

When police can hold video back

Withheld if release could risk harm

KRS 61.878(1)(h), as amended effective June 27, 2025 (2025 Ky. Acts ch. 97), exempts records of law enforcement agencies compiled in detecting and investigating statutory or regulatory violations if disclosure “could pose an articulable risk of harm to the agency or its investigation by revealing the identity of informants or witnesses not otherwise known or by premature release of information to be used in a prospective law enforcement action or administrative adjudication.” Records exempted under it “shall be open after enforcement action is completed or a decision is made to take no action,” unless another exemption applies, but county and Commonwealth’s attorneys’ records of criminal investigations and litigation stay exempt even afterward, and the exemption may not be used to delay or impede access. KRS 17.150(2) separately says intelligence and investigative reports of criminal justice agencies are subject to inspection once prosecution is completed or a decision not to prosecute is made, minus informant identities, personal information that would not advance a wholesome public or legitimate private interest, information endangering officers, and information to be used in a prospective law enforcement action; the custodian must justify a refusal with specificity (KRS 17.150(3)). The Attorney General, applying the Supreme Court of Kentucky, describes how these fit: an agency invoking KRS 61.878(1)(h) must show the records were compiled for law enforcement purposes, that a law enforcement action is prospective, and an articulable risk of harm tied to the records’ content (City of Fort Thomas v. Cincinnati Enquirer, 406 S.W.3d 842 (Ky. 2013)); Shively Police Department v. Courier Journal, Inc., 701 S.W.3d 430 (Ky. 2024), held that KRS 17.150(2) governs only mandatory disclosure after the prosecution is completed or declined; and the 2025 amendment, which changed “would harm the agency” to “could pose an articulable risk of harm to the agency or its investigation” and added witnesses to informants, lowered the agency’s burden (26-ORD-068, 2026). The Attorney General’s 2025 guide says this was the only change the 2025 session made to the Open Records Act and that it reduces the burden on agencies invoking the exemption. So crash video may be withheld while charges arising from the crash are pending if the agency explains the risk of harm, and it should become available once the case ends or no charges are brought, subject to other exemptions. Ask again in writing then.

Do traffic cameras in Kentucky record?

No current KYTC statement found

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) runs GoKY.ky.gov, its traffic and road conditions site. KYTC’s statewide traffic camera map service, which it says provides access to Kentucky traffic cameras as maintained by KYTC, describes a feature class that consolidates cameras from sources inside and outside KYTC, with links to images that display “the most current,” captured at intervals that depend on the source and camera. We found no current KYTC page that says whether camera video is recorded or kept. The Lexington Area MPO’s regional ITS architecture (inventory dated June 1, 2020) says of KYTC District 7’s CCTV cameras on I-75: “The video is not recorded or saved in any way. The cameras are used only to monitor traffic conditions.” That is one district, and not a current KYTC statement, so ask KYTC in writing right away: requests go to Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, Office of Legal Services, Attn: Open Records, 200 Mero Street, Frankfort, KY 40622, (502) 564-7650, fax (502) 564-5238, or by email to KYTC.OpenRecords@ky.gov. City systems can differ. Example: in 26-ORD-076 (2026), the Attorney General held that the Lexington Police Department violated the Act when it denied, on privacy grounds, a request for 90 minutes of traffic camera video recorded at two Lexington intersections, so ask the city’s police or traffic agency as well. Automated license plate reader data may not be kept more than 90 days unless an exception applies, and the exceptions are broad: retention for the law enforcement, commercial vehicle and Transportation Cabinet purposes the statute lists, use by a law enforcement agency as evidence in a criminal or insurance claim investigation, or a subpoena duces tecum or preservation of evidence notice. The data may be shared with an insurance carrier solely for purposes such as investigating fraud or adjudicating insurance claims (KRS 189.632(4), effective July 15, 2026).

Red-light and speed cameras

No red-light law found; work zone cams

Red-light and general speed cameras: we found no Kentucky statute that authorizes them, and none that expressly bans them. A 2026 bill to create red-light camera civil penalties, Senate Bill 24, was referred to the Senate Committee on Committees on January 6, 2026, and saw no further action. Work zone speed cameras (KRS 189.2326, effective June 27, 2025): a peace officer may issue a citation at the time of the offense based on images from an automated speed enforcement device if the vehicle is going more than 10 miles per hour over the posted limit, at least one bona fide worker is present, and a certified peace officer is in or near the end of the work zone in a marked vehicle; KYTC must post flashing signs and calibrate the devices yearly. An image from such a device “shall not be disclosed to anyone other than the driver of the vehicle” (KRS 189.2326(4)). School bus stop arm cameras (KRS 158.485 to 158.490, effective July 15, 2026): a school district may install them and contract with a vendor; a law enforcement agency, peace officer or school resource officer may enforce a violation after reviewing the images; the owner gets a notice by first-class mail within 30 days with a copy of the recorded images and an officer’s sworn statement; the civil penalty is $300 for the first violation and $500 for each later one within three years, with no points; contests go to District Court. Recorded images and related records “are private information and shall only be accessible to authorized personnel for the purpose of enforcing stop arm camera violations,” and an image must be destroyed within 31 days if no notice issues, or on final disposition if one does (KRS 158.486(5), 158.487, 158.488, 158.489). Other school bus video, such as an onboard camera, is not addressed by these sections; ask the school district promptly.

If your request is denied

Attorney General, then court in 30 days

You can appeal a denial, or a failure to respond, to the Attorney General by sending a copy of your written request and the agency’s written denial (or saying that the agency never responded); the Attorney General will not consider an appeal without them (KRS 61.880(2)(a); 40 KAR 1:030 Section 1). Send it to Open Records/Open Meetings Decisions, 1024 Capital Center Drive, Suite 200, Frankfort, KY 40601, or by email to OAGAppeals@ky.gov. The Attorney General’s guide says there is no statutory deadline for an open records appeal (except for people confined in a correctional facility). You may also complain in writing if the agency subverts the Act short of denial, for example with excessive fees, delay past five days, excessive extensions or misdirection (KRS 61.880(4)). The agency carries the burden of proof, and the Attorney General must issue a written decision within 20 days, excepting Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays, extendable in unusual circumstances by up to 30 more working days (KRS 61.880(2)). The Attorney General will not reconsider a decision (40 KAR 1:030 Section 4). Either side may appeal it to the circuit court of the county where the agency has its principal place of business or where the record is kept within 30 days; otherwise the decision has the force and effect of law (KRS 61.880(5)). You may instead go straight to circuit court without appealing to the Attorney General first (KRS 61.882(2)). The court decides de novo with the burden on the agency, may view the records in private, and if it finds records were willfully withheld may award costs and reasonable attorney’s fees and up to $25 for each day you were denied access (KRS 61.882(3), (5)). You may want to ask a lawyer before going to court.

What to do now

1. 1

   Send written requests today

   Write to each agency that responded, citing the Open Records Act. Give the date, time, location and case number, and ask for body camera, dashcam and 911 records.

2. 2

   Ask to view the body camera video

   If you were directly involved, say so and ask to view it at the agency. For a copy, your Kentucky attorney can sign the affidavit under KRS 61.169.

3. 3

   Track the 5-business-day answer

   The agency must decide in writing within five business days and cite any exemption. No answer or a denial can go to the Attorney General.

4. 4

   Ask KYTC and the city about cameras

   We found no current KYTC statement on recording, so ask KYTC’s Office of Legal Services and the city traffic or police agency in writing right away.

5. 5

   Look for private footage now

   We found no Kentucky law authorizing red-light cameras. Post the crash on the bounty board: nearby dashcams often hold the only footage of what happened.

Frequently asked questions