A Marshall Project – Cleveland and News 5 Cleveland investigation has prompted Cuyahoga County leaders to reconsider its policy that blocks the release of body camera footage involving sheriff’s deputy shootings.
The sudden change came Feb. 5, just as the news outlets were poised to publish its investigation into the shooting of a teenaged boy in Cleveland by a deputy assigned to the sheriff’s Downtown Safety Patrol.
For months after the October shooting, the sheriff’s department, citing the ongoing investigation, refused to release bodycam videos or detailed records of the incident.
A spokesperson said county law department attorneys approved the footage release after completing its review of the videos. The spokesperson also said a new policy regarding the timely release of body cam footage is now being considered.
Critics want the sheriff’s department policy to resemble those in Cleveland and Akron, which require body camera videos to be made available to the public within seven days of a use-of-deadly-force encounter. Read our story here:
In response to the reporting, calls have grown stronger for a countywide policy to release deputy body cam footage. Read the News 5 Cleveland story here.
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Under Pressure, Cuyahoga County Releases Video of Teen’s Shooting by Deputy
This article was first published by The Marshall Project, a nonprofit news organization covering the U.S. criminal justice system. Sign up for their newsletters, and follow them on Instagram, TikTok, Reddit and Facebook.
This article appears in Feb 13-26, 2025.