CMPD Releases Body Cam Footage After Fatal Shooting of Keith Lamont Scott

Both police dash cameras and cameras worn by officers are used to record police activity, offering insight from multiple points of view.

The argument has been made that body cameras are more effective, however, and 77% of police officers agree, as they give better evidence of what goes on during human-officer contact.

In the wake of much civil unrest surrounding the recent shootings of black men, many who were unarmed or not considered to be dangerous, the release of body and dash-mounted camera footage has been argued for, in order to better understand the situations.

On Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2016, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department released full footage that was recorded following Keith Lamont Scott’s shooting on Sept. 20.

Scott was killed while officers were pursuing an outstanding warrant for another case, and patrolling the University of North Carolina at Charlotte campus, but were attracted to Scott’s parked car when they saw what they believed to be a handgun. Though the CMPD has issued statements on multiple occasions that they have recovered a handgun with Scott’s DNA and fingerprints on it, the firearm is not visible in the body camera footage, nor is it in the video footage.

The recently released body camera footage does not show the shooting itself but shows the officers’ response to Scott’s injuries. The officers tended to his wounds and continue to talk to him in hopes of keeping him alive.

“Stay with us, bro, stay with us now,” one officer said to Scott.

Another officer repeatedly asked Scott for his name and told him that a medic was on the way. After approximately 10 minutes without medical assistance, the officers removed Scott’s handcuffs, turned him onto his back, and began CPR. Proof of police efforts to keep Scott alive following the shooting was not made public until the footage release on Tuesday.

Protests across the Charlotte area were sparked following the shooting, resulting in street violence and one death. North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory declared a state of emergency as the violence continued.

Body camera and police dash cam footage has helped the public, as well as the judicial system and other police forces, understand these shootings better. As the relationships between the public and law enforcement become tenser, it is even more important to market body cams and police dash cameras for sale. In the interest of transparency, every police department should issue cameras to their officers.