Nassau County Sheriffโs Office releases bodycam footage from deadly shooting of woman holding โBB-style rifleโ
The Nassau County Sheriffโs Office on Thursday released body camera footage from early Jan. 11 when, according to the sheriff, a deputy shot and killed a woman who was โholding a BB-style rifle.โ
Bodycam footage shines light on mental illness
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ A new policy that allows for a quicker release of body camera footage capturing police shootings in Jacksonville is shining a light on mental health issues. Among other body camera footage recently released is the encounter a JSO officer had with 33-year-old Frankie Feliciano in July 2019. โFifteen percent (of) calls that police respond to are involving a person with mental illness,โ said Dr. Justin DโArienzo, a forensic psychologist and Navy veteran who reviewed the raw body camera footage. โCould a mental health professional have averted that situation? Many mental health treatments cost big money, and many providers donโt take insurance so expenses are out of pocket.
Jacksonville FOP president says release of bodycam videos will provide better perspective of police work
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ Jacksonvilleโs police union is weighing in on the decision by State Attorney Melissa Nelson to release body camera video from police shootings within 30 days. Community members are also talking about what they are seeing, particularly with a video released Tuesday that shows a knife-wielding woman stabbing an officer in April. It was the latest video released by the State Attorneyโs Office, but six others are expected to be released in the near future. The quick release of the videos came about as a result of protests and meetings by various groups demanding change. He said they have always supported getting the videos out in a timely manner and this should give people a better perspective of police work.
Community groups in Jacksonville praise move to speed up release of police bodycam video
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ Some community groups and social activists in Jacksonville say a move by the State Attorneyโs Office to speed up the release of body camera footage in police shootings is groundbreaking. โWe will continue with our boots on the ground campaign in that regard.โOthers like Lauren Cepheus, vice president of the Black Commission โ a local group working for policy change in the Black community โ echoed that response. โThings are improving.โRELATED: Nelson issues new policy on body camera footage in police shootingsNews4Jax asked Sheriff Mike Williams if he has a timeline of when videos would be released. โSo within 30 days, it will be released.โThe sheriff says this is evolving and there could be changes. The community groups say they will be meeting later this month with Nelson and others to see how this is working and to discuss other issues.
Prosecutor: Jacksonville officer justified in 2019 deadly shooting of 22-year-old
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ A State Attorneyโs Office investigation concluded a Jacksonville sheriffโs officer was justified in shooting Jamee Johnson during a traffic stop in 2019. The State Attorneyโs Office released its investigation report on Monday afternoon, as well as body camera footage of the police-involved shooting. According to the investigation report, Johnson was pulled over for driving without a seat belt. Toward the beginning of the body camera video, Garriga asks: โWhy are you so nervous?โ Johnson responds: โIโm not. โAt the time Officer Garriga shot Johnson, he had a reasonable belief, under Florida law, that Johnson posed a deadly threat to him and his fellow officer,โ the investigation report said.
Why Volusia County sheriff quickly releases bodycam video
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. โ Less than 100 miles south of Jacksonville, where people are demanding the release of body camera footage recorded by officers during police-involved shootings, Volusia Countyโs sheriff has shown success quickly making public such footage from his department. Deputy-involved shooting: 5/12/20 *WARNING: Contains video footage of a fatal shooting* Body camera and Air One video footage of this weekโs deputy-involved shooting of an armed suspect in Deltona is provided here. even if itโs bad.โThatโs been Chitwoodโs philosophy on police-worn cameras since 2012, first as Daytona Beach Police Chief and now Volusia County sheriff. โEven when people had a complaint and they came in and viewed the body camera video and ... say, โWell, thatโs not how I perceive what happened.โโHow does his department handle releasing body camera video that clearly shows his deputies violating police department standards and procedures? Chitwood said being transparent and releasing body camera footage goes a long way in putting credit in your bank account, so to speak.
Records: Longer, multistep review of officer-involved shootings leading to yearslong waits for answers
So, I was, like, โWell, show me the body video, body camera video.โ And he was, like, โNo, you know, itโs an ongoing investigation,โโ said Austin of her talks with the State Attorneyโs Office. A News4Jax I-TEAM analysis of data from JSOโs Open Data page found, under Nelson, the State Attorneyโs Office for the 4th Judicial Circuit is, on average, taking longer to review cases than the previous administration. Data show, under the previous state attorney, Angela Corey, on average, reports were released 226 days after the original incident. In a memo released Tuesday, the State Attorneyโs Office admittedly said the process for handling officer-involved shootings changed when Nelson took office, specifically, it added more steps. The multiple levels of review that each OIS receives highlights the importance we attach to thorough, correct, and reliable opinions rendered in these cases,โ stated the State Attorneyโs Office memo.
Union president of Jacksonville police finds some common ground with protesters
โIโve yet to see any of these people saying that, that these issues are a big problem here in Jacksonville,โ FOP president Steve Zona said. Zona doesnโt set policy for the JSO, but does represent more than 1,000 officers who work there. Jacksonville police launched its body camera pilot program in November 2018. Of those four, only one officer was wearing a body camera -- Officer Tyler Landreville. Nelsonโs office released a statement last week saying that, โas a result of current events,โ it would review its current practices about when to release body camera video.