Indiana
Indiana Police Body Camera Laws: Retention & Access (2026)
Indiana has no statute requiring police departments to deploy body cameras; that decision is made locally. Once an agency records footage, Indiana Code 5-14-3-5.3 sets minimum retention (190 or 280 days) and 5-14-3-5.2 governs public access to it.
Information last verified on 2026-07-08. This article has not yet been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.
Scope note: This article covers Indiana police body cameras: mandate status, retention, the preservation-request mechanism, and public access to footage. It does not address whether a civilian may record an on-duty Indiana police officer; that question is covered separately in Is It Illegal to Record Someone?
For how other states handle mandate status, retention, and access, see the police body camera laws by state hub.
Does Indiana require police to wear body cameras?
No. Indiana has not passed a statute requiring city, county, or state police agencies to equip officers with body cameras, and adoption remains a local decision. Where an agency does deploy cameras, activation rules are typically set by that agency's own policy rather than a single statewide rule. Indiana State Police, for instance, directs troopers under its own body-worn camera procedure to activate the camera upon exiting the patrol vehicle for a call for service and to keep recording through the law enforcement encounter. Indiana Code 5-14-3-5.2 and 5-14-3-5.3 do not create a mandate to record; instead, they govern what happens to a law enforcement recording once one exists, setting the retention floor and the public access rules covered below. A resident who wants to know whether a specific Indiana department uses body cameras, and under what circumstances, generally has to check that department's own policy.
How long must Indiana agencies keep bodycam footage?
Indiana Code 5-14-3-5.3 sets the baseline. A public agency that is not the state or a state agency, meaning a city, town, or county law enforcement agency, must retain an unaltered, unobscured law enforcement recording for at least 190 days after the recording date. A public agency that is the state or a state agency, such as Indiana State Police, must retain the recording for at least 280 days. If the recording is used in a criminal, civil, or administrative proceeding, the agency must keep it until final disposition of all appeals and any court order addressing the record. These are floors, not ceilings; an agency's own retention schedule can hold footage longer.
Indiana's preservation-request mechanism: how to stop bodycam footage from being deleted
Indiana builds a specific tool into 5-14-3-5.3 for a person who wants a particular recording preserved beyond the standard floor. If a formal or informal complaint about the law enforcement activity shown in a recording is filed with the public agency less than 180 days after the recording (for local and county agencies) or less than 270 days after the recording (for state agencies), the agency must automatically retain that recording for at least 2 years from the recording date. The statute does not require the person filing the complaint or preservation request to explain why they want the footage kept; the agency cannot demand a reason before honoring the request. In practice, this means anyone concerned that footage of a specific encounter might be deleted, a person depicted in the recording, a witness, or an attorney, has a concrete, time-limited window to act before the shorter 190- or 280-day floor would otherwise let the agency destroy it.
| Agency type | Standard retention floor | Preservation-notice window | Extended retention once notice is filed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local or county agency | 190 days | Within 180 days of the recording | At least 2 years |
| State agency (e.g., Indiana State Police) | 280 days | Within 270 days of the recording | At least 2 years |
Can the public get a copy of Indiana bodycam footage?
Indiana Code 5-14-3-5.2 requires a public agency to permit any person to inspect or copy a law enforcement recording, unless one of a defined list of statutory exemptions applies, so access starts from a presumption of disclosure rather than a presumption of secrecy. If an agency denies a request, the requester can petition the circuit or superior court in the county where the recording was made for an order permitting inspection or copying. The court reviews the agency's decision de novo, meaning without deference to the agency, and must grant the petition unless the agency proves, by a preponderance of the evidence and based on the specific facts of the case, that disclosure creates a significant risk of substantial harm to a person or the public. Courts must expedite these cases and rule within 30 days of filing absent extraordinary circumstances. Where a court does order disclosure, the agency must still comply with any applicable obscuring requirements, such as blurring the identity of an uninvolved bystander, before releasing the recording.
What happens if an Indiana officer disables the camera?
Indiana addresses this directly with a criminal statute rather than leaving it purely to agency discipline. Under Indiana Code 35-44.1-2-2.5, added in 2021, a law enforcement officer who turns off or disables a law enforcement recording device, in violation of the employing agency's regulations or policy, with the intent to commit or conceal a crime, commits the offense of disabling a law enforcement recording device, a Class A misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a fine of up to $5,000. That penalty applies specifically to intentional tampering tied to hiding wrongdoing; it does not turn every accidental or policy-noncompliant failure to record into a crime. Absent that intent element, a non-activation is handled the way most agency policy violations are, through internal discipline, though it can still affect how a later use-of-force or misconduct investigation is evaluated.
Frequently asked questions
Disclaimer
This article provides general legal information about Indiana's law enforcement recording statutes, Indiana Code 5-14-3-5.2, 5-14-3-5.3, and 35-44.1-2-2.5, as verified on 2026-07-08. It does not constitute legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Readers seeking a specific recording, or evaluating a denied public-records request, should consult a lawyer licensed in Indiana.
Related articles
- Police body camera laws by state: the complete hub
- Illinois police body camera laws: mandate, retention, and the Sonya Massey case
- Idaho police body camera laws: retention and public records access
- Is it illegal to record someone?
Last updated: 2026-07-08. Statutes cited reflect their in-force version as of 2026-07-08.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Indiana require police departments to use body cameras?
No. Indiana has no statewide mandate. Whether an agency deploys body cameras, and when officers must activate them, is set by each department's own policy.
How long does Indiana keep police bodycam footage?
At least 190 days for local and county agencies and at least 280 days for state agencies such as Indiana State Police, under Indiana Code 5-14-3-5.3.
How do I make sure Indiana bodycam footage of a specific incident is not deleted?
File a formal or informal complaint or written preservation notice with the agency within 180 days of the recording (local agencies) or 270 days (state agencies). That triggers an automatic extension to at least 2 years, and the agency cannot demand a reason for the request.
Can I request a copy of Indiana police bodycam footage?
Generally yes. Indiana Code 5-14-3-5.2 requires an agency to let any person inspect or copy a law enforcement recording unless a specific exemption applies, and the burden is on the agency to justify withholding it.
What can I do if my Indiana bodycam footage request is denied?
Petition the circuit or superior court in the county where the recording was made. The court reviews the denial de novo and must generally order disclosure unless the agency proves release creates a significant risk of substantial harm, ruling within 30 days absent extraordinary circumstances.
Is it a crime for an Indiana officer to turn off a body camera?
Only when done with intent to commit or conceal a crime. Indiana Code 35-44.1-2-2.5 makes that specific conduct, disabling a recording device in violation of agency policy to hide wrongdoing, a Class A misdemeanor.
Does every Indiana police department have body cameras?
No. Because Indiana has no statewide deployment mandate, coverage depends on each department's own budget and policy decisions.
Sources and References
- Ind. Code 5-14-3-5.3 (Retention of Law Enforcement Recordings)(iga.in.gov).gov
- Ind. Code 5-14-3-5.2 (Exemptions to Right of Inspection; Court Orders Permitting Inspection)(iga.in.gov).gov
- Ind. Code 35-44.1-2-2.5 (Disabling a Law Enforcement Recording Device)(iga.in.gov).gov
- Indiana State Police: Law Enforcement Recording Devices (Body and Dash Cams) Standard Operating Procedure(in.gov).gov
- Indiana Public Access Counselor Advisory Opinion 21-FC-26(in.gov).gov