Via email
City of Tulsa
c/o Becky M. Johnson
(beckyjohnson@cityoftulsa.org)
Re: Public Access Counselor Advisement – Complaint No. 2026-023
Dear Counsel,
This is an official advisement regarding the above-referenced complaint (“Complaint”) submitted to this office pursuant to 51 O.S.Supp.2025, § 24A.40. The Public Access Counselor (“PAC”) received the Complaint on February 10, 2026 from Amber Robinson Rodriguez, a private citizen. The Complaint alleges that the City of Tulsa (“City”) has improperly delayed a request under the Oklahoma Open Records Act (“ORA”) for footage from body cameras worn by Tulsa police officers. According to the Complaint, the City has advised Ms. Rodriguez that it is currently working on her request but does not have an estimate for when the footage will be made available.
Per the terms of 51 O.S.Supp.2025, § 24A.40(F), I conducted an initial review and determined the Complaint warranted a response from the City. In its response, the City argues that due to recent court rulings and statutory changes it has experienced a dramatic increase in requests for video footage, which requires more time for the City to review and redact the footage before release. As a result, its responses to requests for footage are taking longer than they used to.
Upon review of the records provided by the City and consideration of the City’s response, I have determined the following:
- The videos generated by body cameras worn by law enforcement are records as defined by the ORA. 51 O.S.Supp.2025, § 24A.3(1). However, such footage is subject to extensive limitations, both at the discretion of the law enforcement agency and as required by law. 51 O.S.Supp.2022, § 24A.8(A)(10)(b).
- Ms. Robinson Rodriguez submitted her series of requests for records between December 20, 2025 and January 2, 2026. The City acknowledged the requests and moved forward promptly to provide records not involving body camera footage. However, for the video footage, the City was unable to provide a timing estimate for production. Ms. Robinson Rodriguez submitted the Complaint to the PAC on January 29, 2026.
- The City claims that the delay in providing the body worn camera footage is unavoidable given the volume of requests the City receives and the time needed to review footage for redaction. In short, the City represents that it is processing the request as expeditiously as possible under the circumstances.
- From the Complaint, it appears that the relevant incident involved minor children, and as a result, redaction may be necessary. See 51 O.S.Supp.2022, §§ 24A.8(A)(9)(c), 24A.8(A)(10)(b)(3).
Based on the information available to me at this time, I conclude that the City has made a good-faith effort to respond to Ms. Robinson Rodriguez’s ORA request. The City must continue to act expeditiously to provide prompt, reasonable access to the footage that Ms. Robinson Rodriguez is legally entitled to. Under title 51, section 24A.40(G), no further response to the above-referenced Complaint is required. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at (405) 522-2771 or by email at opengov@oag.ok.gov.
Sincerely,
Anthony Sykes
Assistant Attorney General
Public Access Counselor
cc: Amber Robinson Rodriguez (via email)
