Video of Samuel DuBose’s death in Cincinnati reignites push for police body cameras

The University of Cincinnati police officer who killed a motorist during a traffic stop over a missing front license plate pleaded not guilty to murder and involuntary manslaughter charges on Thursday.

Ray Tensing, 25, was arraigned while wearing a striped prison uniform with his hands cuffed behind his back in a Cincinnati courtroom, where the audience erupted into applause when the judge set his bond at $1 million.

A highly disturbing video of the July 19 death of Samuel DuBose, a 43-year-old black man, was released to the public on Wednesday — amid a tense national conversation about police and race.

Over the past few years, incidents of officers killing unarmed African-American men have come under intense scrutiny, sparked rioting and further tarnished the relationships some police departments have with the communities they patrol.

The video footage paints a drastically different picture of what led to DuBose’s death than what Tensing initially reported. For many, this discrepancy underscores the importance of wider body camera use for police officers throughout the United States.

In an interview with Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley, Yahoo Global News Anchor Katie Couric noted, “Even on the videotape in the aftermath of the shooting, he makes claims that are proven to be false when you watch the tape.”

Cranley agreed and said he thinks the DuBose shooting will ultimately lead all U.S. police departments to adopt body cameras.

He said that the installation of cameras in every Cincinnati police cruiser has been very helpful in separating fact from fiction.

“What we have found is that those cameras, more than 90 percent of the time, exonerate the actions of our police officers, because the vast majority of our police officers are doing great work,” Cranley told Couric Thursday. “Our officers feared the cameras in the cruisers 10 years ago. Now our officers love it … but it also protects the citizens.”

A review of the New York Police Department’s body camera pilot program, which was published Thursday, called for more police interactions to be recorded automatically and for the footage to be stored for a longer time. These recommendations are part of a lengthy report from NYPD Inspector General Philip Eure.

Many civil rights activists, however, have expressed profound disappointment that video footage of Eric Garner’s death on Staten Island, N.Y., did not lead to an indictment. They were also angry that the killing stemmed from allegations of a minor offense: selling single cigarettes.

Cranley appeared bewildered that an officer would pull over someone for something as inconsequential as a missing front license plate. Instead, he said, officers should focus on deescalating situations.

“From a proportionality standpoint, a license plate issue should not lead to use of force at all, let alone lethal force,” he said.

Ohio law requires that motorists have front license plates on their vehicles, though this is not true of neighboring states.

“Obviously, what we see is an excessive use of force in a situation that is completely disproportionate to the need for force,” he said.

Cranley noted several times that Tensing is a university officer, not a city officer. He has called for campus police reform but said it is too early to tell just how much change is needed — or whether the department should be disbanded altogether.

“They clearly need major reforms; they clearly need to adopt — whether under our authority or not — they’ve got to adopt the same training that we’ve adopted,” he said.

When asked if he is concerned about possible riots, Cranley said that protesters have been speaking out against the campus officer’s actions but that he has seen “no incidents” so far.

“Our police and our community have a uniquely positive relationship. We were arm in arm together to make sure that people’s legitimate right to protest did not go the wrong way,” he said.

Cranley added that Tensing went far outside his jurisdiction, because the confrontation did not occur on campus.

At a news conference Wednesday announcing the charges, Hamilton County prosecuting attorney Joe Deters, known for being hard on crime, did not accept Tensing’s claim that the car dragged him, saying the cop “purposely killed” DuBose.

He described the shooting as “senseless” and “asinine."

Stewart Mathews, the officer’s defense attorney, said he was shocked that his client was indicted on a murder charge.

Tensing, who could be sentenced to life in prison, is scheduled to reappear in court on Aug. 19.