Sept. 16, 2026
— Jeff Ward, Lehigh Valley News Briefs
Fees for some Bethlehem Police Department records will go up Jan. 1.
City Council voted Tuesday to increase the fee for fingerprinting and criminal background checks to $20 from $15. The $15 charge for accident reports remains the same.
Police Chief Michelle Kott said the prices haven’t been raised since 2015.
The new $125 fee for video and audio recordings raised some questions.
“That’s consistent with other law-enforcement agencies locally,” Kott said. Video can include recordings from body-worn cameras, in-car cameras and street cameras. An officer must take on the role of video editor and look at each recording.
Council voted 6-1 to raise the fees, which haven’t gone up since 2015. In favor were Rachel Leon, Colleen Laird, Jo Daniels, Justin Amann, Michael Colon and Hillary Kwiatek. Bryan Callahan voted no.
Update: the fees aren’t charged for reports used in criminal court. These fees are for people who go to the police station and request reports.
Below is the memo from Chief Kott to Council asking for the increase:
Lehigh Valley News Briefs 
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