In response to recent media coverage and statements concerning body-worn camera footage provided by the police department to the Community Oversight Board per its requests, the MNPD today issues the following statement and timeline to correct inaccuracies and provide context.
At no time has even one frame of video been “deleted”, “cut”, or “spliced” from material requested by the COB. Rather, in the case of the body-worn camera footage from the incident at the heart of this matter (recorded at the Cock of the Walk restaurant on July 24, 2021), four potentially offensive words in the 1 hour, 3 minute, 21 second video provided to the COB were muted. Three of the four words were said by a citizen. One of the four words was said by an MNPD officer.
Here is a timeline of this matter:
On July 24, 2021, Officer Brandon Chapman responded to a call at the Cock of the Walk restaurant on Music Valley Drive concerning a patron who was refusing to pay for her food.
On August 2, 2021, the woman complained to the Community Oversight Board that the officer was discourteous during his interaction with her.
On September 5, 2021, the police department released to the Community Oversight Board the officer’s 1 hour, 3 minute, and 21 second body-worn camera video that documented the circumstances at the restaurant.
On May 13, 2022, the Community Oversight Board emailed to the police department its findings in a Proposed Resolution Report (PRR) against Officer Chapman. The PRR was forwarded to the MNPD’s Office of Professional Accountability (OPA) for review. As part of its review, OPA viewed the officer’s unmuted body-worn camera footage directly from the storage server.
On May 25, 2022, the Office of Professional Accountability issued a report finding that Officer Chapman displayed a lack self-control in his response at the Cock of the Walk, used poor decision making, and did not complete all of the required police paperwork. In sustaining the lack of self-control violation, the Office of Professional Accountability found that the officer used a profane word. Although it is unclear whether anyone at the restaurant heard it, in that there was no complaint about the word usage, it was nevertheless picked up on his body-worn camera.
On June 13, 2022, Chief Drake, in a letter to the Community Oversight Board, wrote that the officer’s violations were more serious than found by the board. Again, the Office of Professional Accountability had reviewed the officer’s body worn camera footage and heard the profane word, which was documented in their report.
The video continues in full/real time when the four words are muted. It has been suggested in media accounts that there was “removal” of a section of video. That is not true.
As the police department has previously acknowledged, two MNPD Information Technology employees, when preparing body-worn camera video for release, muted in error potentially offensive words they heard from anyone. When this practice came to the attention of a police department supervisor in the latter part of 2021, they were immediately told to cease muting potentially offensive words. These two employees feel horribly about this and were found to have had no ill will or ill intent. As we have acknowledged, both individuals received written reprimands.
The police department supplied requested video to the Community Oversight Board documenting 25 incidents between September 11, 2020, and December 9, 2021. Moving forward, each of those videos will be reviewed and re-released to the COB. If, during the review, staff hears a potentially objectionable word(s), that will be noted and then compared with the original video supplied to determine if the word(s) were muted. The COB will be made aware of the findings.
The police department is going further. The COB has requested video from 22 incidents in 2022 through July 14. Video in 20 of those incidents has already been supplied. As part of the police department’s commitment to transparency, those videos will also be reviewed and re-released.
Also moving forward, a log reflecting legally required redactions will be created and sent to the Community Oversight Board for each supplied video.
The Office of Professional Accountability has sustained policy violations against Officer Chapman. Disciplinary action against him is being finalized.
The woman in the Cock of the Walk incident was issued a misdemeanor citation after restaurant management insisted on prosecution. The citation was withdrawn by the District Attorney’s Office in August 2021.
Officer Chapman graduated from the MNPD Academy in February 2020.
