NCLC renewing campaign to make body cameras law in St. Pete

Sevell Brown

ST. PETERSBURG – The National Christian League of Councils (NCLC) has officially requested St. Petersburg Chief of Police Anthony Holloway to conduct an investigation as to whether excessive force, police impropriety and police brutality occurred Friday, March 9 at the Shell service station on 34th Street and18th Avenue South at 10:15 p.m.

They are also requesting an investigation of the paramedics on the scene at the incident to ascertain if they were negligent in their professional capacity in correctly assessing and responding to the screams, pleas and medical status of the individual who was being tased and receiving the blows to his head and body.

“I submitted via email my request to Chief Holloway on Monday, March 12, 2018, and copied councilmembers. There has been no response to date,” said NCLC National Director Sevell C. Brown, III.

Brown said the NCLC is in the process of investigating the incident and many of the questions of the conduct of all involved would be available to law enforcement, the media and the total community if the officers were wearing body cameras.

“NCLC is officially re-launching its campaign to have the St. Petersburg City Council to vote to adopt a new city policy requiring all SPPD officers who carry a badge and a gun to wear body cameras,” said Brown.

The NCLC spearheaded the initial campaign for body cameras back on Nov. 6, 2014, with their appearance before city council, lobbying to make them law.

“The NCLC led a delegation of ministers, civic and labor leaders and we argued the merits of body cameras before council, but it was opposed by Chief Anthony Holloway and Mayor Rick Kriseman in 2014,” stated Brown.

On July 8, 2016, the NCLC requested city council a second time to make body cameras law in the aftermath of the police shootings and murder of two black males in Louisiana and Minnesota.

The NCLC called to bring an end of the experimental program of a few officers wearing body cameras in a test trial and for council to make body cameras law for all officers.

Brown is calling on the entire community and every organization to stand with and support NCLC’s efforts to get the city council to schedule a meeting to vote in a new city policy mandating that all officers who carry a badge and a gun wear body cameras.

“We must provide checks and balances with our current technology to assure accountability for the collective community’s protection of their rights and the rights of the officers,” stated Rev. Alvin Miller.

“I’m supporting the NCLC’s Sevell Brown campaign to have the St. Petersburg City Councilmembers vote to make body cams law,” declared Daphnie Nicole Odom, who shot video of the incident.