North Carolina is working diligently to join Texas and Florida as states that have massive “You’re Not Welcome” signs hanging on their borders. If the controversial bathroom bill or testing welfare applicants for drug use wasn’t enough, state legislators are now working to pass a bill that will completely remove access to police body cameras. 

With police tactics coming under increased scrutiny, the introduction of body cameras became the initial answer for many concerned citizens. However, many departments across the country are dragging their feet to introduce the technology, if they’re even open to the idea at all. But North Carolina appears to want to remedy the issue after the fact.

“They’re not striking the right balance if, in every instance, a person has to get a court order to see these videos,” says Susanna Birdsong, an attorney for the ACLU of North Carolina, according to City Lab. “[State legislators supporting the bill] are making it seem like this is an easy process, but there are real financial and time barriers for people going to court to do that, so that won’t be an option for a lot of the very communities that police body cameras are supposed to benefit.”

If this law is passed, the only way to access police body camera footage will be by taking the legal route, which will surely with its own set of issues.

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons