Pennsylvania § 67A06 - Petition for judicial review.

§ 67A06. Petition for judicial review.

(a) Petition.--

(1) If a request under section 67A03 (relating to requests for law enforcement audio recordings or video recordings) is denied, the requester may file a petition for judicial review in the court of common pleas with jurisdiction within 30 days of the date of denial.

(2) The respondent to a petition filed under this section shall be the entity that denied the request for the audio recording or video recording under section 67A05(a) (relating to procedure) unless the request is denied under section 67A05(b), in which case the law enforcement agency that created the audio recording or video recording shall be the respondent.

(b) Duties of petitioner.--A petitioner under this section shall have the following duties:

(1) The petitioner shall pay a filing fee of $125.

(2) If the incident or event that is the subject of the request occurred inside a residence, the petitioner shall certify that notice of the petition has been served or that service was attempted on each individual who was present at the time of the audio recording or video recording and on the owner and occupant of the residence. Notice shall not be required under this paragraph if the identity of an individual present or the location is unknown and not reasonably ascertainable by the petitioner. Service shall be effective upon receipt from personal delivery or certified mail with proof of service.

(3) The petitioner shall include with the petition a copy of the written request under section 67A03 that was served on the law enforcement agency and any written responses to the request that were received.

(4) The petitioner shall serve the petition on the open-records officer of the respondent within five days of the date that the petitioner files the petition with the court of common pleas with jurisdiction, and service shall be effective upon receipt by the open-records officer for personal delivery or certified mail with proof of service.

(c) Intervention as matter of right.--If not a respondent, a prosecuting attorney with jurisdiction may intervene in the action as a matter of right.

(d) Summary dismissal.--It shall be grounds for summary dismissal of a petition filed under this section if:

(1) the request to the law enforcement agency under section 67A03 or the filing of the petition under subsection (a) is untimely;

(2) the request to the law enforcement agency failed to describe with sufficient particularity the incident or event that is the subject of the audio recording or video recording, including the date, time and location of the incident or event; or

(3) the petitioner has not complied with the requirements of subsection (b)(1), (2), (3) and (4).

(e) Approval.--A court of common pleas with jurisdiction may grant a petition under this section, in whole or in part, and order the disclosure of the audio recording or video recording only if the court determines that the petitioner has established all of the following by a preponderance of the evidence:

(1) The request was not denied under section 67A04 (relating to law enforcement review) or the request was denied under section 67A04 and the court of common pleas with jurisdiction determines that the denial was arbitrary and capricious.

(2) The public interest in disclosure of the audio recording or video recording or the interest of the petitioner outweighs the interests of the Commonwealth, the law enforcement agency or an individual's interest in nondisclosure. In making a determination under this paragraph, the court of common pleas may consider the public's interest in understanding how law enforcement officers interact with the public, the interests of crime victims, law enforcement and others with respect to safety and privacy and the resources available to review and disclose the audio recording or video recording.