NC Body Cam Law Leaves Release Up to Judges

Leaked video of an Asheville police officer beating an unarmed black man accused of jaywalking has brought renewed attention to the North Carolina law regarding the release of police body cam footage. Lauren Horsch of NC Insider reports the Asheville incident is being cited by the law's critics as an example of its weaknesses. She spoke with BPR's Jeremy Loeb. As Horsch reports, the law signed in 2016 lays out the protocol for which body cam footage is released, and requires a superior court judge to sign off on it. The ACLU says the law could be preventing footage like the video that was leaked to the Asheville Citizen-Times from seeing the light of day. A bill that would make minor tweaks to the law is stuck in a Senate rules committee after clearing the House. You can follow Lauren Horsch on Twitter for up to date information on the North Carolina General Assembly.