HONESDALE: Wayne County on Friday released surveillance footage of a parking area outside the county jail after being ordered to do so by the Office of Open Records. The request, filed by NEPA News, is tied to an upcoming investigative news story alleging corruption by a public employee.

(The release of the video marks the first time anywhere in the Commonwealth that surveillance footage from a correctional facility has been released through a Right to Know Law appeal).

Andrew Seder, the county’s chief clerk, emailed a digital surveillance file to NEPA News on Friday, April 10, the last day of the deadline set by the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records.

However, after viewing by NEPA News, the quality of the video appears to have been significantly compressed and is not consistent with an original recording - containing less than 15 megabytes of data. For example, the video blacks out and then shifts to significantly lower resolution at a key moment NEPA News had specifically requested, raising questions about the timing of the degradation. 

When NEPA News questioned whether the file provided was the original record as maintained by the county, Seder said in an April 13th email: 

“This is the copy of the original video we preserved during the length of the entire appeals process. And that’s the quality that it is. It’s not an ultra high resolution system. It shows exactly what you requested. You have been presented precisely what we were ordered to give you. We have no other responsive records to provide. Once more, this case is closed.”

NEPA News originally requested the footage on January 7, 2026, through a Right-to-Know Law request. After the county denied the request, NEPA News filed an appeal and ultimately prevailed.

Under Pennsylvania’s Right to Know Law, agencies are required to provide records in the medium in which they exist, or in a form that is reasonably accessible. Providing a materially degraded version raises questions about whether the county complied with the order. Altering records, outside of lawful redactions, is prohibited under the Right to Know Law.

NEPA News plans to file a writ of mandamus seeking to compel the county to produce the original video by court order. The matter would be heard by a judge in the county’s Court of Common Pleas.