Police Shootings / Possible Abuse Threads [merged]

Nothing will bring back Rebecca Duran’s son, 20-year-old Donovan Lewis, who was shot dead by a police officer while in his bed in August 2022.

But getting at the truth surrounding his murder in Columbus, Ohio, relied on one piece of crucial evidence: the officers’ own body-camera footage.

“From the moment that [police] started speaking to the media, they were initially painting a picture that my son fought them back. Their words were that there was an ‘altercation’,” said Duran.


“Up until the moment that I saw the video, I was under the impression that he had fought them back. Their whole spin on the story was fabricated.”

In less than a second at 2am, officer Ricky Anderson, a 30-year veteran of the force, unholstered his weapon and fired at Lewis, killing him.

The footage has played a pivotal role in charging and indicting Anderson with homicide and reckless endangerment, which he denies.

But now a new law means that police departments in Ohio are set to be able to charge up to $750 for access to body-camera or other video footage, a move that’s causing outrage among civil rights advocates, family members of people who have died following interactions with police and media advocates.

The proposal was not made public in advance nor was it subject to a hearing by lawmakers before being snuck into an omnibus bill in the final hoursof the outgoing Ohio legislature last month.

It’s part of a wider attempt, say civil rights advocates, by law enforcement to restrict access to public records. Some are concerned that the new law could not only affect access to body-camera footage, but dash cameras and footage recorded at jails and correctional facilities.


“The costs can reach thousands of dollars if there are multiple officers on the scene. We have families who have children and loved ones killed by police and they might have to choose between finding out what actually happens (or paying for the cost of) laying their loved one to rest,” said Emily Cole of Ohio Families Unite Against Police Brutality.

“It’s also a slippery slope in terms of protecting the sanctity of public records in general. If we charge for one type of public record, who’s to say that other charges won’t be forthcoming?”……..

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news...lice-body-camera-video?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other