NC not alone: Other states blocking access to police body camerafootage

On 2016-10-04 18:34, Leroy N. Soetoro wrote:
http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/27/us/sta...amera-footage-
laws/?iid=ob_article_footer_expansion

(CNN)Just because an officer videotapes a controversial encounter doesn't
necessarily mean you'll ever get to see it.

As of October 1, North Carolina will bar police footage from the public
domain, but the state is far from alone in seeking to block access to
footage of police encounters.

At least 19 states and the District of Columbia have passed laws on public
access to police body camera footage, according to the Reporters Committee
for Freedom of the Press and the National Conference of State
Legislatures, which track such laws.

The police should not be allowed to keep the footage from bodycams. Some
have argued that public release will influence jurors, so if it is to be
kept private control of the footage should be turned over to an
independent agency, so police can't alter or edit it in any way. The
raw footage can then be viewed by the defense and prosecutor and finally
the judge and jury. Police should also not have the power to turn the
camera on or off -- it always remains on while they are on duty.