WBTW

Darlington County Sheriff responds after video surfaces of officer turning off camera

State Senator Gerald Malloy of Hartsville is one of the sponsors who filed a bill last week that would make sure people aren’t charged with interference when they turn on their cameras.

It also says, as long as it happens on public property and whoever does the recording is in a place they can be legally.

The bill would also prohibit officers from taking their phone or anyone’s phone during a traffic stop.

Officers would not be able to delete your pictures.

This comes after the Walter Scott shooting in North Charleston earlier this month, when now-former police officer Michael Slager shot and killed Scott after a traffic stop.

The video of that shooting was caught on a cell phone camera.

Last week Darlington County Sheriff Wayne Byrd posted a statement to the sheriff’s office’s Facebook page in support of the proposed bill.

“You know it’s a bill that not only protects the citizens’ rights but also gives a degree of protection to the officer,” Sheriff Byrd mentioned.

However, a video is posted on YouTube of an incident back in 2013 that happened at Darlington Raceway campgrounds.

It shows a man recording the drug enforcement unit, after Sheriff Byrd says there was a suspicion of marijuana there.

One of the deputy’s approaches him and says “you want to go to jail?”

Then he proceeds to cut the camera off

“If you are doing what you supposed to be doing and you’re not doing anything wrong and don’t have anything to be ashamed of…why do you care if someone is videotaping you,” said Byrd.

Sheriff Byrd says the deputy was not punished for what he did and was recently re-hired after he left the sheriff’s office.

“If they have the right to stand there and observe, they have the right to stand there and record. Trying to stress that to officers especially with the atmosphere that has developed in the last six months to a year,” he added.

Sheriff Byrd did say the case is still pending.

He said the biggest issue was actually getting the person to come in and tell what happened along with bringing in the video.

Neither of which he has done.

Click here to view the video.