Releasing BodyCam footage of Police should be illegal.

Release of body cam footage is wrong as explained by Stephen Hartney, the Salt Lake City police union’s president.

“The premature release of body cam footage, and information related to the disciplinary investigation, and repeated statements by city officials to the media has unfairly and improperly made pariahs of the involved officers,”...[releasing the body camera video while the investigation is still ongoing] “has created a public furor which makes reasoned determinations difficult, if not impossible. A furor which did not have to occur,” ...[while later adding that release of the video also] “creates an explosive atmosphere for no reason whatsoever.”...“The premature release of body cam footage is particularly demoralizing as it allows the public who have not trained as police officers to make what often amounts to biased and ill-informed judgments of the police,”

STATEMENT BY PBA PRESIDENT PATRICK J. LYNCH ON RELEASE OF BODY CAM FOOTAGE FROM BRONX SHOOTING

PBA president Patrick J. Lynch said:

“The release of this footage sets a dangerous precedent that jeopardizes police officers' due process rights and confidentiality protections under state law. The district attorney's investigation into the case is still ongoing — it should be allowed to proceed free of pressure and interference, looking at all of the relevant facts alongside the video footage. Moreover, this footage constitutes a confidential personnel record that is protected under New York State Civil Rights Law Section 50-a, and releasing it in violation of the law will expose the police officers involved to a very real and substantial risk of harassment, reprisals and threats to their safety and the safety of their families. If fairness and justice are the goal, they won't be achieved by suspending police officers' rights whenever it is convenient to do so.”