Chase Allan death: Here's why Farmington cops were told to 'kill the bodycams' when 25-year-old was shot
DAVIS COUNTY, UTAH: Chase Allan, 25, was reportedly fatally shot 12 times by Farmington Police Department cops during a traffic stop while he was inside his blue BMW 3-Series car parked outside a local post office.
Interestingly, it was reported that the cops had turned off their bodycams during Allan's shooting. At 3.31 pm on the day of the incident, after the shots were fired, cops were instructed, "If you're off the scene, you can go ahead and kill your bodycams." Meanwhile, the five officers involved have been placed on administrative leave.
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What did the cops tell each other when Chase Allan was shot?
During the shooting, as per KSLTV, the cops spoke. This is what they said:
3:27:06 p.m- “We have shots fired, suspect down, and there’s more”
3:27:34 p.m- “We’re Code 4, can we get medical”
3:29:18 p.m- “Send ‘em in, we’re doing chest compressions”
3:32:03 p.m - “In the scene, you can go ahead and kill your body cams”
3:46:46 p.m.- “Can we just make sure all the body cams have been shut off”
3:47:02 p.m.- “Can we make sure all the body cams have been shut off now”
What is the protocol for turning off body cameras?
It is to be noted that there is a protocol that dictates the reasons for bodycams being turned off. Davis County Officer-Involved Critical Incident Protocol outlines this specific protocol, stating, "Once the protocol has been invoked, the Davis County Investigative Bureau Chief, Operations Section Chief, or Lead Investigator, when on the scene, may direct that all running dash and body cameras shut off. This is done to prevent hours of video with no evidentiary value that will later have to be fully reviewed by Protocol Investigators," as per KSLTV.
However, Farmington Police Department has its own set of rules, which follow Utah's state codes. They state, "The portable recorder should remain on continuously until the member reasonably believes his or her direct participation in the incident is complete or the situation no longer fits the criteria for activation."
The protocol for turning off body cameras also says, “An officer may deactivate a body-worn camera:
(a) to consult with a supervisor or another officer;
(b) during a significant period of inactivity;
(c) during a conversation with a sensitive victim of crime, a witness of a crime, or an individual who wishes to report or discuss criminal activity if:
(i) the individual who is the subject of the recording requests that the officer deactivate the officer’s body-worn camera; and
(ii) the officer believes that the value of the information outweighs the value of the potential recording and records the request by the individual to deactivate the body-worn camera; or
(d) during a conversation with a victim of a sexual offense, as described in Title 76, Chapter 5, Part 4, Sexual Offenses, or domestic violence, as defined in Section 77-36-1, if:
(i) the officer is conducting an evidence-based lethality assessment;
(ii) the victim or the officer believes that deactivating the body-worn camera recording:
(A) will encourage complete and accurate information sharing by the victim; or
(B) is necessary to protect the safety or identity of the victim; and
(iii) the officer’s body-worn camera is reactivated as soon as reasonably possible after the evidence-based lethality assessment is complete.”
Experts opinion
Speaking about the shooting, Former Salt Lake City Police Chief Chris Burbank reportedly said, "What many policies say is, when you’re engaged with the public, the body camera should be active. Any sort of engagement or involvement with the public, the body camera should be running, to document what’s taking place. We the public should know why our officers engaged in some level of force with the public."
