Articles Tagged with police video footage

Charlotte Criminal Lawyer Brad Smith answers the question: “Should I talk to the police?”

Charlotte has been gripped by protests in the days following the deadly shooting of Keith Lamont Scott. Scott was killed by police officers who said he was using marijuana and carrying a gun that he refused to drop. In the days after the shooting, protesters urged the police to release video footage of the encounter, including dashboard and body camera video recordings. The hope is that the footage would shed light on the deadly incident and determine whether or not the officers were justified in their actions.

Charlotte Criminal Lawyer Brad Smith answers the question: “Am I allowed to videotape an interaction with police? Can they make me stop filming?”

North Carolina now joins the ranks of other states attempting to block the release of potentially inflammatory body camera footage. Earlier this month the governor, Pat McCrory, signed a bill into law that prevents law enforcement recordings, either from body cameras or dashboard cameras, from being released, except with very narrow exceptions. Though some officers have cheered the news, many other groups, including the ACLU and the state’s attorney general have offered criticism, saying the new law makes it harder to hold law enforcement accountable in the event of the use of excessive force.

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