GREENSBORO, N.C. — A judge ruled Monday for body camera footage related to an incident involving the Greensboro City Manager to be released to the city council. This comes after the city council petitioned the court to release part of the footage to council members.
Next Monday, another judge will decide on whether the footage will be available to the public.
Amiel Rossabi, the lawyer representing the Greensboro Police Officers Association, was at the hearing on Monday. He argued if the camera footage is going to be released at all, it needs to be released in its entirety to the public - not just one specific group.
"On behalf of the Greensboro Police Officers Association, we are treating this petition like any petition for disclosure of BWC (Body Worn Camera). It doesn’t matter if it’s this case involving the City Manager or otherwise, our position has always been that if there is a request to release body-worn camera footage, we want for release of unedited, not taken out of context, and we want it to go to the public,” Rossabi said.
Rossabi said he is hoping to show the judge next week that there is a compelling public interest to release the tape.
Police records show officers responded to city manager Taiwo Jaiyeoba's home on Dec. 28 for what they called a family disorder.
The report lists the city manager and his two adult daughters and they are each listed as having apparent minor injuries.
911 calls from that night gave little insight into what may have happened.
"He's trying to say that I hit him and pushed him and now his arm is broken. He's a very powerful man," someone is heard saying on the phone.
WFMY News 2 tried to talk with the city manager last week. His office rejected our request.
Greensboro Mayor Nancy Vaughan said there is no active law enforcement investigation. She released a statement, saying, in part:
"I have not received any information to cause me to call into question Mr. Jaiyeoba's character or fitness to serve as City Manager. [...] I consider this to be a family matter and Mr. Jaiyeoba is entitled to privacy, just as any family experiencing similar circumstances," Vaughan said.
WFMY reached out to Greensboro City Council about watching the footage, and those who responded said they haven't received it yet.
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