Walter Scott Shooting Bolsters Calls for Police Body Cams

"Democracy Now!" airs weekdays at 9 a.m. PT on KCET.

The murder charge filed against North Charleston police officer Michael Slager for fatally shooting Walter Scott has reignited debate over whether officers should wear body cameras. Police were forced to change their story that Slager fired his gun out of fear for his safety after Feidin Santana came forward with video of the encounter he filmed on his cell phone. The footage shows Slager fired Scott eight times as he was running away. The original police report said Scott took Slager's taser and that officers tried to revive him with CPR. Neither claim appears to be true, based on the video.

On Wednesday, North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey announced a new order for police body cameras. Today, investigators are expected to release the dash-cam video from Slager's patrol car. Many cities have installed cameras in their patrol cars. The Police Executive Research Forum found in 2013 that about a quarter of respondents required body cameras.

"Democracy Now!" is joined by Jay Stanley, senior policy analyst with the Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project at the American Civil Liberties Union. Stanley wrote the 2013 report "Police Body-Mounted Cameras: With Right Policies in Place, a Win For All," and updated it this year with new ways to address civil rights concerns.