BWCs and Proposed North Carolina Legislation

April 22, 2021

Public record laws directed at the release of body-worn camera video in response to a request must carefully considered. It must balance privacy, accountability, evidentiary value, and resource demands on police departments. Unfortunately, the current law in North Carolina, passed by a previous legislature, was too restrictive. The result is a pendulum swing in the completely opposite direction. The article doesn't make it clear if this proposed law is for all requests or only those involving the taking of a life. A 48 hour release timeline is unrealistic for all requests. Yes, it could be met in critical incidents but it would but an undue burden on departments if it applied to all requests. Let's hope the North Carolina legislature does it's homework and gets this right.