Columbus officials are continuing to redact sensitive information from police officer body camera footage The Dispatch has requested and now plans to release it after the city council has a chance to view it at its Tuesday meeting.
The video shows Officer Toni Howard, who has worked for CPD since December 2015, pointing a Taser at a Lowndes County Adult Detention Center inmate while he was being evaluated at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle. The inmate’s hands were cuffed behind his back and his feet were shackled.
City officials announced this week Police Chief Oscar Lewis plans to recommend suspension for Howard to the city council on Tuesday. The meeting begins at 5 p.m. in the Municipal Complex, and councilmen will view the body camera footage in executive session.
The Dispatch requested a copy of the body camera footage Tuesday, and a city official showed reporters the raw footage of the more-than-50-minute video later that day with initial plans to release a copy for publication on Wednesday that would have sensitive information redacted.
That process, however, became delayed by city efforts required to ensure no parts of the video released to the public violate the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) that protects patient privacy.
“The redaction of personal information continues on the body cam video requested from the Columbus Police Department,” Mayor Robert Smith said in a statement. “The complete video will be released next week after the redaction is complete and the video is then reviewed for HIPAA compliance by City Attorney Jeff Turnage. Since most of the over 50-minute video was recorded within the hospital, extra time is being taken on the redaction.”
By law, the city has up to 14 working days to release the redacted footage.
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