Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego blames content creators for public records request backlog

Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego blamed the police department’s backlog of public records requests on content creators fishing for catchy footage to post on social media.

“What we’re seeing is that people who don’t live in our community and sometimes don’t even live in our country were requesting large amounts of these to try to find something that might go viral or might become clickbait,” Gallego told KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Arizona’s Morning News on Thursday.

The Phoenix City Council recently voted to update the public records fee schedule and add staff to improve turnaround times after the backlog reached nearly 40,000 outstanding requests.

“We don’t want people who are looking all across the country for the police department with the cheapest records to target,” Gallego said. “We want to prioritize the people who live in our community.”

The city said its Police Public Records and Services Bureau expects to get nearly 140,000 requests for documents, video footage and other public records in 2026. That represents an increase of almost 30% from the 2024 total and outpaces the bureau’s current capacity.

Traffic crash report requests can take up to six weeks to fulfill. Video requests, which can require time-consuming reviews and redactions, can take more than two years to complete.

“This was not something that was super on my radar. And apparently, it is a huge and growing industry,” Gallego said.

Changes to Phoenix public records policy primarily target commercial users

The city said the rate increases largely target commercial users who are seeking to profit off the content.

The higher fees are expected to cover the cost of additional personnel outside of temporary staffing, which will be funded through one-time savings in the police budget.

Here’s a list of what it will cost to obtain public records from the Phoenix Police Department starting Nov. 1:

• Electronic document copies for non-commercial requests are free. The fee for printed copies will increase to 25 cents per page, up slightly from the current rate of 24 cents.
• For commercial document requests, there will be a $10 flat fee plus 25 cents per page.
• The first video with medium blur is free.
• Supplemental video requests requiring redactions will cost $23 for every 30 minutes reviewed.
• Crime victims or their representatives get one free copy of police records upon request.
• Fees for 911 recordings, photographs and other media remain unchanged.

“We hope that for commercial requests, we won’t be the cheapest out there for people who are just trying to find clickbait,” Gallego said.

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