By Greg Knight & Grace Dumas, News of the North
The City & Borough of Juneau will introduce an ordinance Monday night during the consent agenda regarding body cameras and use-of-deadly-force incidents by Juneau Police Department officers.
The CBJ Assembly meeting will start at 7 p.m. in Assembly Chambers at City Hall. The meeting will be live streamed on the CBJ YouTube page and on Zoom.
In a memo from Juneau City Attorney Emily Wright to the CBJ Assembly, she outlined that in the fall of 2024, the assembly and Juneau Police Department Chief Derek Bos requested that the CBJ Law Department draft an ordinance to provide direction on the release of body-worn camera footage in the case of officer-involved shootings.
According to the proposed ordinance, when an officer-involved shooting occurs that causes death or serious injury to an officer or someone else, Juneau Police Department would release body-worn camera footage no later than 30 days after the incident.
Family would be provided the opportunity to review the footage in-person or virtually up to 24 hours prior to planned public release.
According to the proposed ordinance, the release would consist of video imagery (including audio) that shows the actions and events leading up to and including the shooting.
Additional information providing context of the incident, as well as an explanation of redactions, would also be provided.
Footage would not be released if JPD receives a court order prohibiting it.
According to the language of the ordinance, a prosecutor could request, in writing, up to a 10-day delay in the release of video to the public. The prosecutor would be required to specifically explain the need for the delay.
Only one 10-day delay could be requested by a prosecuting attorney. If a delay is granted, the city manager would be required to inform the Borough Assembly, at the next scheduled meeting, of the delay. An explanation for the delay would also be released to the public.
