In a lot of disputes over exactly what happened in a particular incident, video is crucial. That’s come up in many interactions with police in particular, and that’s led to a lot of policies mandating dash cameras and body-worn cameras.
However, those bodycams only work if they’re worn and turned on. And as per Louisville mayor Craig Greenberg’s comments Saturday, the city has not been able to obtain footage from any bodycam from Louisville Metro Police Department detective Bryan Gillis around his controversial arrest of world No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler Friday:
Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said this morning that LMPD Detective Bryan Gillis either wasn’t wearing a body camera Friday morning or didn’t have it activated when he encountered Scottie Scheffler outside Valhalla.
“We have not yet discovered any video of the initial… pic.twitter.com/gvm1byOltN
— WDRB News (@WDRBNews) May 18, 2024
As Mike Sisak of The Associated Press noted, that specifically contradicts the department’s published policy:
Counter to policy…
“All sworn members will be issued, & are required to utilize, the BWC in accordance with this policy.”
“Members will immediately activate their BWC in recording mode prior to engaging in all law enforcement activities or encounters”https://t.co/2sySlAMbIZ https://t.co/ySWLYkPd0W
— Mike Sisak 🗒️ (@mikesisak) May 18, 2024
However, as per Louisville Fox affiliate WDRB, Greenberg said there is footage from a fixed camera across the street, and that will be “soon be released.” And that may help clear up the discrepancies between the arrest report claiming Scheffler dragged Gillis (and ripped his pants) and Scheffler’s lawyer’s claims that those allegations are false.
A body camera would have been very useful in figuring out who was telling the truth about this incident. It certainly was in the case of Toronto Raptors’ GM Masai Ujiri’s run-in with an Alameda County sheriff’s deputy in 2019. But perhaps the fixed camera footage will be enough to establish what happened here.
[WDRB]
About Andrew Bucholtz
Andrew Bucholtz has been covering sports media for Awful Announcing since 2012. He is also a staff writer for The Comeback. His previous work includes time at Yahoo! Sports Canada and Black Press.