Officer-involved Shootings Video - Maine Behind the Curve on Public Access to Information
More than three months after officers were involved in a fatal shooting of a Minot, Maine, resident, the Androscoggin County Sheriff's Office and the Office of the Attorney General continue to deny requests to release police body camera video of the incident, pending an investigation that could take more than two years to complete. Meanwhile, recent cases in New Hampshire, New Jersey, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, California, and Washington offer examples of body camera videos released only days or weeks following deadly police shootings.
An Excerpt
"Maine is behind the curve on public access to this information," said First Amendment Attorney Sigmund Schutz. "Other states have embraced the notion that enhanced transparency builds greater public trust when there are police-involved shootings. Maine so far really tends to be on the secrecy end of the spectrum."