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ACLU Questions Oakland's Body Camera Policy In Fatal Shooting

The officer's Vievu on-body camera, which is about the size of a pager, captured the Sept. 25 shooting in East Oakland. The officer fatally shot the suspect, who had a gun and drugs, after a foot pursuit and struggle.

An Oakland Police officer's body worn camera captured a fatal shooting with a suspect that drew questions from trial attorneys and the ACLU about whether officers should be allowed to view footage before speaking to investigators.

The officer's Vievu on-body camera, which is about the size of a pager, captured the Sept. 25 shooting in East Oakland. The officer fatally shot the suspect, who had a gun and drugs, after a foot pursuit and struggle.

The officers are usually allowed to view their footage after filing an initial report. In this instance, the office wasn't allowed to view the footage prior to speaking with investigators.

Questioning the policy was the American Civil Liberties Union and John Burris, an Oakland attorney, who said officers who shoot suspects shouldn't have access to such a video because that would give the officer "an opportunity to change your story to match the video."

The city bought 350 wearable cameras late last year from Vievu of Seattle for $540,000, and began issuing them to officers, who are expected to record all of their stops and arrests.

Source: San Francisco Chronicle.

Related: Turning Cops into Cameras

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