Each day police officers are entrusted with the responsibility to tell the truth about their interactions with the public, from traffic stops to arrests. But what happens when an officer’s version of events doesn’t match the body camera video of the same event? What happens when there are discrepancies between an officer’s written report and the narratives of everyday people? How do we increase accountability and reduce these inconsistencies between police accounts and the people they are duty-bound to protect?
This investigation will examine whether body camera records can be instrumental in the larger unsettled conversations around police reform and its long-term impact on local communities.
TheGrio is partnering with data journalists from Stanford University's Big Local News to uncover the truth about police body camera footage data from a select group of police departments. This data-driven project includes select stories of families with connections to incidents that happen to be recorded on body cameras. The project is an interactive narrative with audio clips from interviewees, social media-optimized video clips, and featured articles about cities and stories.
