Police turn over video from officer shooting dog

Gaston Gazette has reported that one North Carolina police department decided to release police body camera video in the wake of the non-fatal shooting of a dog. The department cleared the officer involved of any wrongdoing and released the video to combat rumors that the dog was shot for no reason.

The article quotes SMVT attorney Brandon J. Huffman on the treatment of police body cameras under the public records law.

Lincolnton police decide when to release body camera footage on a case-by-case basis, according to Jordan.

And that’s likely the case in most departments that have added the relatively new equipment to their arsenals, according to attorney Brandon Huffman who represents the N.C. Press Association.

“There is not a uniform agreement on what the law should be or is currently,” he said.

The article includes several more quotes from Brandon, and you can read the entire article here. Recently, SMVT attorney Hugh Stevens also spoke on police body cameras at the Open Government Coalition’s Sunshine Day.