The day before the funeral of San Diego police Officer Jonathan "J.D." DeGuzman, the heads of police departments around the county on Wednesday announced a protocol on when they will release video from officer-involved shootings.
That makes San Diego County the first county in the U.S. to have a single standard for when to release video in police shootings.
District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis said body cameras and other videos submitted to police will not be made public until her office has completed a review. Her office will then release only the sections deemed relevant to the investigation.
“The immediate release of a video would be irresponsible," Dumanis said. "We have the duty to protect the due process rights of the defendant and the officers have rights as well to privacy. The witnesses have rights to privacy. So we have to protect and balance all those interests.”
The department of the officer involved will also be notified before any video is released. If chargers are filed, the public will see only what comes out during the trial.
The San Diego County Police Chiefs and Sheriffs Association brokered the agreement.
