Oklahoma law could block police body cam footage from being seen publicly - KTUL
TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) — Oklahoma legislators passed a bill that would allow judges to block the release of police footage if it shows an officer getting shot or dying.
Senate Bill 968 passed the House and Senate and now sits on Gov. Kevin Stitt's desk to be signed.
The bill would allow a judge to restrict the release of body camera or dash camera footage if someone requests it through a public records request. The judge would weigh public interest versus individual interests.
Lawmakers behind the bill said officers and their family members shouldn't have to see the footage online or on television afterward.
"We want to ensure that we have a society that upholds the dignity of the officer and protects children from graphic videos," said Rep. Sheila Dills of District 69. "We want to make sure that the family doesn't have to relive this experience by seeing it on social media or the news media."
The bill was introduced during the 2021 legislative session after Tulsa Police Sgt. Craig Johnson was shot and killed during a June 2020 traffic stop. The body cam footage and dash cam footage from the shooting were released to the public.
Under current Oklahoma law, police video can be released but graphic parts can be redacted. Johnson was shot at the scene but didn't die there. He died later at the hospital.
A judge decided to release parts of the footage to the public and news outlets.
Lawmakers and supporters of SB968 want it to guard future officers and their family members.
"It would be terrible for them to have to watch the video over and over on social media or their loved one being killed and I don’t think any of us would want to see that," said Jeff Downs, President of the Tulsa Fraternal Order of Police.
Rep. Dills said the Tulsa County Sheriff's Department, Tulsa Police Department, and the City of Tulsa reached out to her about the bill.
"They were very supportive of this bill," she said. "They were actually the ones that requested the bill. They were very much on board and officers have been calling me and thanking me for running the bill since we got it to the governor's desk."
Video from an officer-involved shooting can still be used in court and viewed by attorneys, adult family members of the officer, and the department.
Dills said there are provisions in the bill to ensure transparency with the public.
"A judge can order it released if it's in the public's best interest if that outweighs the reason for denial," she said. "So the public is adequately protected and that would be played out in court of law."
House minority leader Rep. Emily Virgin released a statement calling the bill "political pandering" and said it wouldn't change the Johnson case.
Dills said the bill focuses on the future, although it honors the Johnson family.
"I'm very happy that the legislature has done something in their honor that has positively affected our laws in the state of Oklahoma," Dills said. "We can ensure that such a graphic video will not be released again in the future and costs such trauma with our citizens."
source: https://ktul.com/news/local/oklahoma-law-could-block-police-body-cam-footage-from-being-seen-publicly
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