New law will block the public from seeing police videos in North Carolina
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Your support makes all the difference.A new law, which goes into effect on October 1, will block the public from seeing police videos recorded from body and dashboard cameras.
The timing couldn’t be more pressing for state officials as they are currently under scrutiny for delaying the release from the fatal shooting of Keith Scott.
Republican Governor Pat McCrory signed the legislation two months ago saying the law would balance public trust within the safety of police officers. This week, Mr McCrory ensured that he still supports the measure.
"One viewpoint of a video doesn't often always tell the whole story," he told CNN. "The angles can make a difference, and [you're] not hearing [the sound] often in the video, so that [adds to] the complexity. The video is one piece of evidence. We have to be careful."
Dash cam video is currently considered public record and open to public record requests. Under the new law, the decision whether to release footage will solely rely on the department’s discretion.