Plum inks deal with DA for body cam footage requests

All Right-to-Know requests for police audio and video footage in Plum will go through the Allegheny County District Attorney’s Office first after Plum Council approved a memorandum of understanding with the DA’s office.

The memorandum requires the borough to forward all requests for audio and video related to “criminal and non-criminal matters” to the DA’s office, which would review any footage before releasing it.

“Criminal and non-criminal matters” do not include summary traffic stops or allegations of police misconduct unless the alleged misconduct is part of a criminal investigation, according to the document.

Plum Police Detective Joe Little, the department’s spokesperson, said police Chief Lanny Conley made the initial inquiry for assistance with the requests.

Little said the department receives Right-to-Know requests infrequently.

“The district attorney’s office is well equipped to handle these requests,” he said. “Their participation will help alleviate the burden from our police department’s personnel.”

Plum Borough Manager Dave Soboslay said the borough had consulted with the DA on previous requests, and the memorandum would simply shift the responsibility out of Plum’s hands.

The borough is not the first municipality to enter such an agreement. Bridgeville signed a similar memorandum in 2024, and numerous municipalities — including Murrysville and Irwin — follow the same process in Westmoreland County.

The agreement went into effect immediately.