Request for Body-worn Camera Footage: Kody Olsen (12/13/2023)

This is to acknowledge that you have requested access to public records of:


Pierce County Sheriff.


Your request has been given the reference number P035378-022025 for tracking purposes and will be processed by the county department listed above.


You have requested:


To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Washington Public Records Act, I hereby request the following records:

All unedited body-worn camera / bodycam recordings related to the following law enforcement critical incident:

Incident Date: December 13, 2023
Location: 4300 block of Vickery Avenue E, Tacoma, Washington
Victim Name: Kody Olsen

I am specifically requesting the unedited body-worn camera recordings captured by all officers present for the full duration of the incident, including audio recordings associated with the footage.

If any portion of the requested footage must be redacted, I ask that you clearly indicate the portions that have been redacted and provide an explanation of the legal basis for the redactions. If the requested footage is withheld in its entirety, please provide a detailed explanation citing relevant public records exemption(s).

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 5 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Kelly Stevenson

Upload documents directly: https://www.muckrock.com/

We will provide you with a more detailed response within five business days of receiving your request.

--- Please respond above this line ---

RE: PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST of February 20, 2025, Reference # P035378-022025.

February 28, 2025

Dear Kelly Stevenson,

On February 20, 2025 you requested the following:

“To Whom It May Concern:

Pursuant to the Washington Public Records Act, I hereby request the following records:

All unedited body-worn camera / bodycam recordings related to the following law enforcement critical incident:

Incident Date: December 13, 2023
Location: 4300 block of Vickery Avenue E, Tacoma, Washington
Victim Name: Kody Olsen

I am specifically requesting the unedited body-worn camera recordings captured by all officers present for the full duration of the incident, including audio recordings associated with the footage.

If any portion of the requested footage must be redacted, I ask that you clearly indicate the portions that have been redacted and provide an explanation of the legal basis for the redactions. If the requested footage is withheld in its entirety, please provide a detailed explanation citing relevant public records exemption(s).

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 5 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Kelly Stevenson

Upload documents directly: https://www.muckrock.com/
The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) has identified one or more law enforcement investigative records which are responsive to your request. The record(s) located by PCSO are part of an ongoing, active, and open investigation as of the date of the request, were compiled by PCSO, and nondisclosure of the record(s) is essential to effective law enforcement at this time.  As such, under Washington state law, RCW 42.56.240(1), which exempts specific investigative records compiled by law enforcement agencies the non-disclosure of which is essential to effective law enforcement, the record(s) are currently exempt from disclosure in their entirety.  The Washington State Supreme Court held in Newman v. King County, 133 Wn.2d 565 (1997), that law enforcement investigative records are categorically exempt and not subject to public disclosure when an investigation is open and active.  Additionally, the Washington State Supreme Court held in Progressive Animal Welfare Society v. University of Washington, 125 Wash.2d 243 (2002) that identifying features of records withheld in their entirety need not be provided if disclosure would reveal protected content.  The Sheriff’s Office will not disclose the identifying features of the withheld records (e.g., number of pages, type of record, date of creation, author, recipient) while the investigation is open and active as disclosing such identifiers would reveal confidential information about the investigation, which is protected content under Newman v. King County; see also Koenig v. Pierce County, 151 Wn.App. 221 (2009).

Your request is now closed as exempt from disclosure.  Feel free to reach out to us at a later date to check the case status before resubmitting your request.
This agency believes it has fully processed this request in accordance with the Public Records Act; this letter is the final and definitive response. Please be advised that the Public Records Act’s one-year statute of limitations to seek judicial review has started to run as of the date of this letter because this agency does not intend to further address your record request. Please be advised that you can contact this agency within the next thirty days to ask any follow-up questions regarding the processing of this request.This request is now closed.

Respectfully,
Candice M
Sheriff New Request
Public Records Officer
Pierce County Sheriff