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In Iowa is it legal for the police to refuse giving you a copy of the squad car tape,that will show,innocence.?

Guy rear ended my car,tape will show how far his skid marks were,and where his vehicle came to rest.Skid marks were 285 feet long+the impact with my cars rear side bumper clip.They estimated he was doing 80-85,mph,he didn't get a ticket?

7 Answers

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  • MikeTL
    Lv 6
    10 years ago
    Favorite Answer

    You have no rights to the tape. The tape is the property of the police department and is not subject to public record disclosure. The only time police footage becomes public is when admitted as evidence into court. Other than that it is at the discretion of the dept.

    Just because you did not see him get a citation does not mean he wont. The citation could be mailed to him or the crash could still be under investigation. I used to mail citations all the time at crashes for a variety of reasons.

    The footage from dash cam would not qualify as evidence in this case as it is not a reliable source of distance. Only footage that would be considered evidence would be if an investigator was videoing the measurment of the skid marks and used reference points for distance. Ever wonder why we use rulers in our crime scene photos? Its to prove distance / size since cameras don't have depth.

    Request the Accident Report that should tell you if a citation is going to be issued.

  • 5 years ago

    2

    Source(s): Vehicle History Search Database : http://vin.trustdd.com/?Vevj
  • 10 years ago

    You need to find out if Iowa has a "freedom of information" act. The Feds have one and most states have their own version.

    There should be a process for a member of the public to formally request access and/or a copy of the tape in question. Some department info can be refused but I've seen plenty of dash cam videos to think these are not one of the protected items.

    Whether this will help your case or not I do not know. Dash cam videos are entered as evidence so it's worth a shot for sure.

  • heika
    Lv 6
    10 years ago

    If you are being charged in relation to the incident you will have an absolute right to a court trial. You will surely have an attorney representing you and that attorney may, through a process called discovery, request the police provide any and all evidence that they have regarding the incident. Even if it does not clear you of responsibility at least you (and the lawyer) will be able to provide your side without any unexpected surprises.

    Source(s): Lifes experiences
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  • 10 years ago

    Outside of an active lawsuit. it is illegal for the police to allow you access to the recording. The recording will NOT show the length of the skid marks in any case. The WRITTEN report is where that information would be. In any case, your story makes ZERO sense. You don't have to prove your innocence if someone hits you.

  • 10 years ago

    What "innocence" are you trying to show? But yes, they can refuse to give you a copy of the tape from the dash cam. Your lawyer might be able to subpoena it if you really need it for some reason.

  • Anonymous
    10 years ago

    not at all.

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