Editorial: Body cam video release is key to government transparency
Wednesday, May 5, 2021 -- It takes transparency and openness to show citizens that their public officials, and those who work on their behalf, are doing their jobs properly and in the public interest. That is the MOST important reason and one that overrides all others to release the body-cam videos of the Pasquotank County Sheriff's deputies and the shooting of Andrew Brown.
Posted — UpdatedTransparency, openness, accountability, those are critical ingredients to citizens having faith their government operates in their best interest.
Elizabeth City Mayor Bettie Parker is rightly worried about the faith the citizens of her town can have in their community’s leadership and the city’s police. Tension and protests – mostly peaceful so far -- continue following the shooting. The city has been under a curfew for more than a week.
The town is home to Elizabeth City State University, a 131-year-old historically black campus. It is the urban and economic hub of Pasquotank County. Elizabeth City’s population is 51% Black. All of Pasquotank County is 37% Black.
The news media has a right, contrary to Judge Foster’s conclusion “that the media is not a party as contemplated” by the statute and thus “good cause does not exist” for it to get release of the videos. The law states “any person” (news reporters are persons after all) seeking release of such recordings can go to court to request their release.
The judge contended that “confidentiality is necessary at this point to protect either an active internal and criminal investigation or a potential internal criminal investigation.”
Those doing the investigating already have access to the entire videos. The law enforcement officers appearing in the recordings also have the right to request to see them. How does any disclosure impact upon what local or state investigators are doing? Further, a brief portion of a video has already been shown to Brown’s family members. Those who have seen are freely expressing their perspectives and they haven’t been reserved.
The rest of the public remains uninformed – left to accept or reject what they hear from the lawyers for the sheriff’s deputies who contend they acted only to protect themselves or from Brown’s family members who have said it was an execution.
The public should be able to see the videos and, to the degree anyone wants to draw any conclusions, do that for themselves. Amid worries that if there is any prosecution, it might taint a jury pool – how is what the lawyers and family now say any less of a concern? The judge should see through those shallow arguments. Jurors will see the full videos if there is a trial where the lawyers will have opportunities to offer their interpretations.
It takes transparency and openness to show citizens that their public officials, and those who work on their behalf, are doing their jobs properly and in the public interest. That is the MOST important reason and one that overrides all others to release the body-cam videos of the sheriff’s deputies and the shooting of Andrew Brown.
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