DEWEY BEACH, Del. - The American Civil Liberties Union of Delaware says it has secured access to police body-worn camera footage from Dewey Beach after settling a lawsuit against the town.
The ACLU announced Thursday that Dewey Beach voluntarily released the footage after the organization filed a lawsuit in Delaware Superior Court in March, alleging the town had improperly denied a public records request.
The lawsuit centered around an incident in the summer of 2025 involving a group of young people who, according to the ACLU, reported facing possible racial discrimination. The organization said none of the individuals were charged with a crime and there did not appear to be an active criminal investigation related to their conduct.
The ACLU submitted a FOIA request seeking body camera footage connected to the incident. That request was initially denied, prompting the organization to file the lawsuit against the town.
As previously reported by WBOC, the ACLU argued that Delaware law allows public access to body-worn camera recordings in situations where there is no ongoing criminal investigation or prosecution.
On June 4, the ACLU announced Dewey Beach had provided the requested footage, and the case had been settled.
“Body-worn cameras only provide transparency and accountability to the extent that the public can actually access the footage,” said ACLU-DE Civic Engagement Counsel Andrew Bernstein. “This victory demonstrates that law enforcement agencies across the state can and should provide footage to Delawareans who seek it.”
Bernstein said public records requests for police body camera footage are often denied across Delaware and expressed hope the outcome will encourage other law enforcement agencies to release footage when appropriate.
“It should not be a momentous occasion when the public is able to access basic records, yet we know that public records requests for body-worn camera footage are routinely denied across the state,” Bernstein said. “We are thankful that Dewey Beach has bucked this trend, and we hope this win will encourage other law enforcement agencies across the state to make body-worn camera footage readily available to the public to foster trust and build cooperation.”
The ACLU did not immediately release details about the contents of the footage or indicate whether additional legal action is planned.
