White House on South Carolina Shooting, Police Body Cameras
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Vacclav/iStock/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — At a Wednesday press briefing, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest called the shooting of Walter Scott at the hands of a North Charleston, South Carolina police officer over the weekend “hard to watch,” and echoed previous White House comments on the use of body cameras for police officers.
“The video is awfully hard to watch,” Earnest said, “and that’s the human response we’ve seen from others all across the country.” He did not say whether President Obama saw the video of the shooting, but did say that the incident is, “an example of how body cameras worn by police officers could have a positive impact on building trust between police officers and the communities they serve.”
Earlier this year, the Obama administration pushed for a $75 million federal grant initiative to help local police department purchase body cameras.
“Nobody thinks [body cameras are] a panacea,” Earnest said. “But it certainly, at least in this situation, could certainly help.”
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