Activists Urge North Carolina Governor to Veto Bill Restricting Body Cam Footage Access

Under HB972, recordings made by law enforcement agencies would not be public records

Activists and community members are urging North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory to veto a bill that would limit the public’s access to law enforcement recordings, such as police body cameras and dash cam recordings, NBC News reported. 

They presented McCrory with a petition of more than 3,800 signatures on Friday, according to Southeast Asian Coalition of Charlotte, North Carolina. 

Under HB972, recordings made by law enforcement agencies would not be public records. Agencies would decide whether to release the recordings. If denied, an individual would have to obtain a court order to view or obtain the recording.

A Vietnamese-American woman with bipolar disorder was shot and killed by an officer in 2014. Her family wasn’t allowed to see the officer’s body cam footage for more than two years. When they did finally see the video and hear the audio, they felt it didn’t match the officer’s testimony about what happened, advocacy group 18 Million Rising said. 

The officer was cleared of wrongdoing after an internal investigation, but has   resigned from the police department.

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