Let accountability decide video access
Published May 17, 2015
Editorial by Jacksonville Daily News, May 15, 2015.
"The public records and public information compiled by the agencies of North Carolina government or its subdivisions are the property of the people.” — Preamble, N.C. Public Records Law
A bill making its way through the Legislature in Raleigh flies in the face of government transparency and your right to know what your government — in all its forms — is up to. And it goes against a law already in place that protects the public’s right to know.
That law is the N.C. Public Records Law, which clearly states in its preamble that government records and information gathered by the government belong to you, the people of this state.
If lawmakers have their way, the public will not have access to footage from dashboard cameras inside police patrol cars and body cameras worn by police.
The bill comes at a time when people are seeing video of incidents involving police officers across the nation. As Amanda Martin, general counsel for the N.C. Press Association, describes, “Videos from dash cams and body cams are little more than a bare naked, honest recording of what has taken place. They offer an unedited and uneditorialized account of an event.”
By seeing what has happened with their own eyes rather than reading or hearing a report presented through a police filter, the public can draw its own conclusions based on facts.
Seeing what happened can, in large measure, remove doubt, misunderstanding or speculation related to the incident. It protects police, as well as anyone else involved. And it can foster greater trust among the general public in the sworn officers individuals depend upon to help in emergencies and protect them from harm.
An example of the benefit of public access to police video comes from a story about events in Lincolnton, a town west of Charlotte.
“Earlier this year, Lincolnton police released body camera video from an officer who shot and injured a dog while responding to a call. Rumors began to circulate that the dog was lying in the yard when it was shot, Police Chief Rodney Jordan said. To clear up that misconception, Jordan released the video. It showed the dog charging the officer before shots were fired.”
The Lincolnton chief was right to release the video, but other police departments have refused, despite the N.C. Public Records Law.
If House Bill 713 becomes law, and it has advanced to the state Senate, neither the Lincolnton police chief nor any other police chief in the state will have the freedom to decide, and the public’s right to monitor its government will be eroded.
Police video will be considered part of a criminal investigation and therefore withheld from the public — the people who paid for the cameras recording the incident and who pay the salaries of the officers wearing the cameras or driving the cars equipped with cameras.
Police accountability ends up having another hurdle to overcome in the event of questioning rumors, leaving to chance that a bystander will pull out a cellphone and record incidents involving police.
House Bill 713 should not become law in North Carolina.
May 17, 2015 at 10:57 am
Richard L Bunce says:
This is what government does, exercise it's unfortunately expanding powers with little accountability. Of course law enforcement body cam video should be public immediately unless a clear and immediate threat to life is at issue. In addition any State or Local laws that place limits on residents recording law enforcement actions should also be eliminated. Law enforcement is the big government that these members of the Legislature ran against... they and many other government agents are armed and exercise the coercive powers of government. Very limited government powers applies to them as much if not more than any other government entity.
