http://democracynow.org - The murder charges filed against North Charleston police officer Michael Slager for fatally shooting Walter Scott has reignited debate over whether officers should wear body cameras. Police were forced to change their story that Slager fired his gun because he feared for his safety after Feidin Santana came forward with video of the encounter he filmed on his cell phone. The video shows Slager fired eight times as Scott was running away from him. The original police report said Scott took Slager's taser and that officers tried to revive him with CPR. The video appears to show neither claim is true. On Wednesday, North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey announced a new order for police body cameras. Today, investigators are expected to release the dash-cam video from Slager’s patrol car. Many cities have installed cameras in their patrol cars. The Police Executive Research Forum surveyed police departments in 2013 and found about a quarter of respondents required body cameras. We are joined by Jay Stanley, senior policy analyst with the Speech, Privacy and Technology Project at the American Civil Liberties Union. Stanley wrote the 2013 report, "Police Body-Mounted Cameras: With Right Policies in Place, a Win For All," and updated it this year with new ways to address civil rights concerns.
Democracy Now!, is an independent global news hour that airs weekdays on 1,300+ TV and radio stations Monday through Friday. Watch our livestream 8-9am ET: http://democracynow.org
Please consider supporting independent media by making a donation to Democracy Now! today: http://democracynow.org/donate
FOLLOW DEMOCRACY NOW! ONLINE:
Facebook: http://facebook.com/democracynow
Twitter: https://twitter.com/democracynow
YouTube: http://youtube.com/user/democracynow
SoundCloud: http://soundcloud.com/democracynow
Daily Email: http://democracynow.org/subscribe
Google+: https://plus.google.com/+DemocracyNow
Instagram: http://instagram.com/democracynow
Tumblr: http://democracynow.tumblr
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/democracynow
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/demo...
TuneIn: http://tunein.com/radio/Democracy-Now...
Stitcher Radio: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/democ...
