So much for transparency. After yet another police shooting of yet another black man, this time in Charlotte North Carolina, the chief of police decided to keep the video showing the shooting of Keith Lamont Scott a secret.
Asked by CNN’s Wolf Blitzer why he chose not to release the video, Chief Kerr Putney said that releasing the video was “not the transparency” he’s speaking of. Then he had the nerve to compare Lamont’s killing to “domestic violence and sexual assault.”
Well, um, what I am doing is allowing the family to view it… they’ve asked, and I have that authority. I’m not going to release it because ultimately I think I have to do what I can to protect the integrity of the investigation.
Also, I don’t want to set a bad precedent that I am releasing lots of video. And I think you can be destroying some of the trust of some of our most vulnerable victims, especially those of domestic violence and sexual assault!
You got that? It is apparently Chief Putney’s conclusion that showing the people what really happened to Keith Lamont Scott will stop victims of domestic violence and sexual assault from coming forward, because these victims would think the chief would release their video too?
One thing has absolutely nothing to do with the other. But when it comes to protecting a fellow officer from facing possible criminal charges, this police chief is willing to allow his community to burn instead of doing what the people wants and showing the video. To hell with transparency. Protect a possible criminal cop at all costs!
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