The vast majority of Tennesseans support public access to police body camera footage, according to a recently released poll.
The poll, conducted by icitizen – a Nashville-based polling agency – and the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government, found that nine out of 10 people in the Volunteer State support the release of body camera videos.
Despite such support for access to body cam footage, Tennesseans range in their views on whether or not the right to view such evidence should be limited.
About 60 percent of people believe the public should be able to view officer-involved footage unless a judge decides its release would harm an ongoing investigation, while 28 percent of respondents believe citizens always have the right to see such footage. Only 12 percent of people believe police should be able to withhold the video for any reason.
Deborah Fisher, executive director of the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government, said the results of the poll indicate that Tennesseans understand the importance of public oversight.
“It also shows that while some citizens think there may at times be legitimate reasons to withhold the video during an investigation, they don’t think police should be able to make that decision on their own,” she said. “The clear presumption is for access and openness.”
When it comes to the issue of whether or not the public has the right to see video of an officer-involved shooting before an investigation is complete about 57 percent of Tennesseans support the idea, while 35 percent are opposed.
Several police departments throughout the country, including some in Tennessee, have refused to release footage until after an investigation is complete.
Some states, including North Carolina, require a court order before footage can be released to the public.
“While it is common for law enforcement to prefer withholding video while an investigation is in process, the public clearly expects this level of transparency and access – especially given recent high-profile incidents in the news,” said Mark Keida, vice-president of polling for icitizen.
State law allows police departments’ discretion on whether or not to withhold body camera footage until after an investigation is complete.
During the 2016 legislative session, Rep. Glen Casada, R-Franklin, tried to amend a bill to allow police to withhold such video until after an investigation and prosecution, which can last anywhere from a few weeks to months or even years, is complete. Several groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union and the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government, opposed the measure, which was eventually sent to summer study.
Despite the bill not advancing, the issue will be revisited when the Tennessee Association of Chiefs of Police and the Advisory Committee on Open Government – a 14-member group that includes people from a variety of backgrounds, including journalists, nonprofit organizations and Sen. Ken Yager, R-Kingston, and Rep. Bob Ramsey, R-Maryville, who serve as non-voting members – meet on Aug. 29.
The results of the iticizen and TCOG poll, which came from interviews of 531 registered voters from July 25-27, has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percent.
