Today South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley will sign S.47, a body camera bill. The bill requires state and local law enforcement agencies in South Carolina to use body cameras and to develop body camera policies and procedures. It also establishes a “Body-Worn Cameras Fund” and prohibits police body camera footage from being accessed via Freedom of Information (FOIA) requests. The increased use of police body cameras is worthwhile, but limiting access to the footage hinders attempts to increase law enforcement accountability.
Lawmakers fast-tracked S.47 following the death of Walter Scott, a 50-year-old man who in April this year was shot in the back while fleeing Michael Slager, a North Charleston, South Carolina police officer. Continue>>>
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