This video is no longer available.
GREENSBORO, NC – The shooting death of 18-year-old Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri has thousands of people calling for all police officers to wear body cameras.Β
Ferguson Police have them, but haven’t started using them.Β
Β
Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department says its in the process of buying 160 body cameras.
Β
WCCB’s Audrina Bigos traveled to Greensboro, one of the only cities in the state where body cameras are being used.
Β
Officer Mary Flynt with the Greensboro Police Department wears her camera on her collar or sunglasses.Β
Β
βI’m going to turn my camera on just in case anything happens,” said Flynt during WCCB’s ride along. Flynt used the camera during a burglary call and a traffic stop.Β
Β
The body cameras are always on, showing what police see and do. But the officers control when they record.
Β
“Let’s just say he stepped out of the car real quick then I would probably turn it back on cause I don’t know what’s going to happen,β said Flynt.
Β
“When the officer is done at the end of their shift, this camera will have that officers day’s worth of video on that camera,” said Lt. Chris Schultheis.
Β
“Once a recording is made on the camera, it cannot be removed from the camera. Officers cannot edit it in any way. It cannot be deleted,” said Β Schultheis. Β Β
Β
Video from Greensboro’s 300 body cameras are stored for a minimum of 6 months.Β
Β
Sergeant Stephanie Mardis works in professional standards and internal affairs to watch video to resolve complaints and evaluate use of force.
Β
“It’s a perfect piece of evidence and it’s very compelling in court,β said Mardis. Β So far this year, video footage has been used to determine that 25 citizen concerns were meritless.Β
Β
“I know that if someone complains about me on this call, they can see what I did, they have no question about what I did,” said Flynt.
Β
The video is not available to the public because it’s part of the officer’s personnel file or part of a criminal investigation. That is one of the biggest concerns of the American Civil Liberties Union, which wants all officers to wear cameras. Β
Β
“This is a tool for accountability and it shouldn’t just go one way. If a citizen has a complaint against a police officer and that’s on video, that’s something the citizen should have access to,β said Mike Meno, with the ACLU of North Carolina.
Β
CMPD is in the bidding process for body cameras, but there’s no timeline for purchasing them. More than 1,200 agencies in the country already use the cameras.
