The Greensboro Police Department has released body camera footage of a controversial May traffic stop that prompted calls for policing changes.
The incident drew public outcry after a short video posted to social media showed an officer yelling and pointing a gun into a stopped vehicle. In the weeks that followed, local activists called for the officer’s firing, written consent for vehicle searches and an end to so-called “regulatory” stops — traffic stops prompted by minor violations like a broken headlight.
After reviewing the full, unredacted body camera footage, Mayor Nancy Vaughan said she supports the actions of the officers involved.
“You have to look at everything in its totality,” Vaughan said. “The call they were responding to: shots fired. They were in the immediate vicinity of the shots-fired call. The officers felt that the car was operating in a suspicious manner and it had the headlight out. So it was the totality of the circumstances.”
Vaughan said requiring written consent for searches wouldn’t have changed the outcome. She did not comment on demands to fire the officer or other policy changes sought by activists.
The full body camera videos are available on the Greensboro Police Department’s YouTube page.
