San Jose City Council: Release Of Police Videos

Campbell CA

18 August, 2020

1:40 PM

Description

From San Jose Spotlight: by Carly Wipf After the police killing of George Floyd sparked protests nationwide filled with tear gas and rubber bullets, San Jose lawmakers demanded transparency from the police department — and, to an extent, they got it. The public can now view footage capturing police use of force at recent protests. On Tuesday, the City Council will review which clips have been released and which are being withheld. Videos captured by protesters, news organizations and residents were compiled into five separate videos posted to the San Jose Police Department's website. They include a collision between a police motorcycle and a pedestrian, the arrest and use of force against a man pulled behind the police line, an incident where an officer cursed at a protester and protests along Highway 101. But a major chunk of police videos are being withheld. Body cam and helicopter footage have not been released due to ongoing investigations, according to a memo from police leaders. "The Police Department recognizes the strong public interest in releasing this footage," San Jose Police Chief Eddie Garcia wrote. "However, we must also strike the balance served by not disclosing department-generated video to ensure that the internal investigations are complete, thorough, objective, and fair." According to the July 23 memo from Garcia, hundreds of complaints have been filed from residents about officers' behavior during protests. The complaints have prompted more than 20 investigations. Garcia also wrote that one party filed a protest-related claim with the city. Additional claims are possible because people can file up to six months after an incident, he said. The police department on Tuesday will provide more details on its plan to release videos. The decision to publicly release video footage came after lawmakers demanded more transparency following a flood of complaints about the use of rubber bullets and excessive force at protests. "As these demonstrations wear on, it remains imperative for the council and the public to fully understand whether our uses of force for what is commonly referred to as "crowd control" meet our high standards for the San Jose Police Department," the councilmembers wrote. To watch Tuesday's discussion with the City Council, visit the San Jose's YouTube page. Contact Carly Wipf at [email protected] or follow @CarlyChristineW on Twitter. San José Spotlight is the city's first nonprofit news organization dedicated to independent political and business reporting. Please support our public service journalism by clicking here.