Press release from the city of Asheville:
ASHEVILLE — The city of Asheville filed a petition today under N.C. General Statute § 132-1.4A, asking the Buncombe County Superior Court to order the release of additional body-worn camera recordings of Asheville Police Department officers relating to the August 2017 arrest of Johnnie Jermaine Rush.
A copy of the petition can be found here: Petition of the City of Asheville for the release of APD documents related to Aug 2017 arrest of Johnnie Jermaine Rush
APD is not allowed to release body-worn camera recordings in the absence of such a court order, because they are not considered public records under North Carolina law.
The petition states that under the circumstances of this case, the City believes release is necessary to provide the public with full disclosure of the circumstances surrounding the arrest and to allow the City to provide the public with all relevant information to understand the events that transpired on August 24 and 25, 2017.
Keeping Police Cam Video Private
A bipartisan bill [House Bill 972] was signed into law by Governor Pat McCrory that establishes clear and uniform standards and procedures that law enforcement must follow in disclosing or releasing video captured by body-worn cameras or “dash cams” used by law enforcement officers..
http://nchouse117.com/keeping-police-cam-video-private/
The keeping of body cam and dash cam video from the public is another typical republican ploy to undermine due process….. and why we only learned of the racist beating in Asheville six plus months after it occurred….. and ONLY because the body cam video of the beating was leaked by some brave soul.
The law does not keep police video from the public. It clearly lays out a standard process for making video public in a way that does not violate rights. The City is following that process now.
North Carolina’s police bodycam law mandates courts approve video release:
“It is one of the best and most completely drafted laws enacted by the General Assembly,” said Eddie Caldwell, executive director of North Carolina’s Sheriffs’ Association. “What can be released, what has to be released, is very explicit in the law.”
http://wlos.com/news/local/north-carolinas-police-bodycam-law-mandates-courts-approve-video-release