Statement on North Carolina’s Body Camera Law

Raleigh, N.C. — Sen. Danny Britt (R-Robeson), who co-chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement regarding North Carolina’s body camera law:

“In 2016, 48 of 50 senators voted to update the state’s body camera laws by authorizing a judge to make the final decision on releasing footage. The goal was to remove politics from the decision-making process and to forestall the possibility of a law enforcement agency refusing to release video.

“Some, including legislators who voted to pass the 2016 law, have recently suggested changes to that process. We are always open to talking about improvements to any law, and this one is no different.

“It should be said that, to my knowledge, the first request to a judge to release Elizabeth City body camera footage was submitted just yesterday, and a hearing has been set for tomorrow. It would seem very early, then, to label as broken a process that just began a matter of hours ago.”