Smiley Administration Delays Release of Body Camera Video of Police Officer Hitting Cuffed Man for More Than 40 Days

Smiley Administration Delays Release of Body Camera Video of Police Officer Hitting Cuffed Man for More Than 40 Days

 

It is the tale of two sets of body-camera footage. In one, Mayor Brett Smiley’s administration rushed a video out that they thought put the police in a positive light, and in the other, the city has delayed and delayed again the release of a video that may provide more clarity to an incident involving a man in handcuffs being punched by a police officer.

Smiley, who serves as the Providence’s Commissioner of Public Safety, oversees all aspects of both the police and fire departments. 

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 Incident One — Fast Track

When New England Patriots defensive lineman Christian Barmore took to social media to accuse the Providence Police of “racism,” the Providence Police Department distributed a complete suite of body camera videos that showed the traffic stop and the exchange.

After a GoLocal request, the video was released just a few hours after the incident. It was clear from the released video that Barmore was the aggressor, and the Providence Police appeared to treat him professionally.

Providence Police distributed the Barmore body camera footage within a few hours of the request.

Three days later, Barmore apologized for his behavior.

 

Fast forward.

 

 

Incident Two — Slow Walk Release of Video of Police Officer Striking Handcuffed Man

On Saturday, May 9, GoLocal was first to publish a portion of a video that showed an incident between a Providence man and a group of police officers.

The video shows a Providence Police officer repeatedly punching a man in the head after he had been handcuffed and was being walked to a police cruiser. 

The man in custody, William Mitchell, was arrested for disorderly conduct and assaulting officers, after police say that he called officers “fags” and spat on them. 

That day, GoLocal requested a copy of the body camera video from the Providence Police Department.

Also, GoLocal requested a copy of the incident report, which provided great detail to the event, but did not reference the officer

The incident report took multiple days to receive a copy of the report, and it took multiple days to get a response to the request for the body camera video.

The police refused to turn over the police body camera and filed the request as a public records request. That gave the Providence Police ten working days to respond to the request.

Then, on Friday, May 22, Providence Police took an extension for another 20 working days, extending the timeline until June 22. 

There are other questions raised in the video.  WATCH THE FULL VIDEO ABOVE

Specifically, Providence Police officers repeatedly tried to block the citizen filming the incident. That is against Providence Police policy.

"Officers are expected to respect the public’s right to record police activity in public spaces, provided the recording does not interfere with operations or safety, said Department spokesperson Kristy DosReis.

"Officers are not permitted to intentionally obstruct someone solely because they are recording. However, officers may establish safety perimeters or position themselves as needed to safely manage an incident," she added.