Criminal Justice
YouTubers abuse FOIA for arrest footage of young women to gain clicks and website income
YouTube channels featuring young women being arrested for DUIs and while in other compromising situations are generating billions of online views after being obtained by people abusing the Freedom of Information Act. (Image from Shutterstock)
YouTube channels featuring young women being arrested for DUIs and while in other compromising situations are generating billions of online views after being obtained by people abusing the Freedom of Information Act.
As reported in the New York magazine, “the bodycam hustle” examines a disturbing trend: police footage of mostly women, usually between ages 18 and 25 and often while intoxicated, is posted online by YouTubers.
Access to the police bodycam video is obtained through the Freedom of Information Act—often filed by lawyers and journalists. It’s now being misused by requesters looking to get footage for clicks and generate income on their websites. FOIA requests grant the right to access records from government agencies to promote transparency.
Christine Rivera, the city clerk for Las Cruces, New Mexico, has found her office, like many others, overloaded by public records requests, increasing 140% between 2024 and 2025. The police bodycam footage video ends up online, resulting in more than 150 YouTube channels routinely showing private citizens being arrested.
“We have been told,” Rivera told New York magazine, “that we are on some kind of list for requesters stating that we are a municipality that is easy to get records from.”
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