Iowa police body camera video is sometimes revealing — if the public is allowed to see it

[Democide]

Iowa police body camera video is sometimes revealing — if the public is allowed to see it

1 February 2021

When an Iowa City police officer in 1996 accidentally shot and killed Eric Shaw, an artist working late in his father’s office, Troy Kelsay wasn’t the one who fired the gun but knew police had made a terrible mistake when he saw blood flow from Shaw’s body. “Then, the standard practice was for police departments to say ‘no comment,’” said Kelsay, who, after 27 years in the Iowa City Police Department, is chief in University Heights, an enclave of about 1,100 people tucked within Iowa City. “The PD and city, wrongly I think, were saying ‘no comment.’ Saying ‘we screwed ...

Iowa police body camera video is sometimes revealing — if the public is allowed to see it

A review of policies of over 200 agencies found wide disparities on release of video, which can block the public from seeing how cases were handled.

www.desmoinesregister.com

 

[Democide]

Family still searching for justice after Burlington officer shot, killed a mother while trying to shoot her dog

21 November 2021

Gina Colbert longs for the days when she and her daughter worked together in her Columbus, Georgia, antique and thrift store. It was at Gina's Junk, Thrift and Antiques that Colbert taught Autumn Steele how to operate a cash register, much like her mother had taught her to do. "By the time she grew up, she'd been helping to run the cash register since before she was 7 years old," Colbert said. "She was raised in it and so was I." It was at the shop that Colbert and Steele would bring their garage sale and thrift store finds to ...

Family still searching for justice after Burlington officer shot, killed a mother while trying to shoot her dog

A police officer responded to Autumn Steele’s home for a domestic disturbance call. Within seconds of turning on his body camera, he fired two shots.

www.thehawkeye.com

 

[Democide]

Iowa Supreme Court sides with family seeking video, 911 call recordings of 2015 police shooting

30 December 2021

The attorney for the family of a woman killed by Burlington police in 2015 can continue his quest for video and audio records of the incident, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled Thursday. Adam Klein, representing the family of Autumn Steele, had sought various records from the Burlington Police Department and other law enforcement agencies. Steele, 34, died Jan. 6, 2015, after a Burlington police officer responding to a domestic dispute tried to shoot the family's dog as it bit him, but missed and hit her instead. The officer was not criminally charged. Burlington Police and the Iowa Division of Criminal ...

Iowa Supreme Court sides with family seeking video, 911 call recordings of 2015 police shooting

Thursday's ruling allows attorney Adam Klein to seek judicial review of a decision restricting access to video of Autumn Steele's death.

www.thehawkeye.com