INDIANAPOLIS (AP) - Indiana law enforcement agencies would be forced to publicly release body-camera video if the recordings might show officers using excessive force or violating someone’s civil rights under overhauled legislation that was approved Wednesday.

The Senate Judiciary Committee made major changes before approving legislation 7-1 that originally allowed the agencies to withhold body-camera video form the public unless the person or entity seeking the recording could convince a judge that releasing it wouldn’t harm anyone.

The bill now requires video to be released if an alleged victim said it showed excessive force or rights violations. The changes also shift the burden to law enforcement to prove in court that releasing the video would harm someone or hinder an investigation.

Bill sponsor Sen. Rodric Bray, a Republican from Martinsville, said shifting that burden alleviated pressure from media organizations that bashed the original bill, saying it would put too much burden on the public to hold police accountable. He said releasing the videos when police come under scrutiny “might show that there was excessive force or it might show that there is not excessive force.”

The measure now heads to the full Senate.

West Lafayette Police Chief Jason Dombkowski took issue with the changes, saying they could discourage the use of body cameras because police might be held liable for violating the privacy of other people shown in the videos.

He also noted that the amendment would require agencies to store video for 190 days, which he has said carries a price tag of $90 per camera per day for his department’s 40 cameras.

“We do feel there’s some possible due process issues for all involved or depicted in the video,” Dombkowski told lawmakers during the committee hearing. “We usually feel those things are best determined by a judge.”

Other law enforcement organizations also have cited privacy concerns, even though the bill requires agencies to obscure some details, such as dead bodies, graphic injuries or sensitive personal information.

Bray said a judge could step in if there were a disagreement between police and the public over the release of a specific video. He plans to adjust the legislation if people continue to take issue with the amended language.

Sen. Gregory Taylor, an Indianapolis Democrat, voted in favor of the bill and cited the case of Laquan McDonald, a black Chicago teenager who was shot 16 times by a white police officer. Chicago police did not release video of the incident until more than a year later.

“We have to make sure that the public interest and public safety is job one and that is why it is important to release this information,” Taylor said. “We’ve finally come to a point where we think that’s important.”

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Follow Aric Chokey on Twitter at https://twitter.com/aric_chokey

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