ACLU-VA Statement Regarding Meeting with Henrico County Police Chief and Commonwealth’s Attorney

ACLU of Virginia Director of Strategic Communications Bill Farrar and Director of Advocacy Jenny Glass participated today in a meeting with Henrico County Police Chief Humberto Cardounel and Commonwealth’s Attorney Shannon Taylor, other law enforcement officials, and a small number of community advocates. The following statement should be attributed to Mr. Farrar and Ms. Glass:

“We appreciate the opportunity to view bodycam video recorded during the tragic shooting of Gay Plack by Henrico County Police Department officers on Sept. 17, as well as to be able to discuss concerns directly with Chief Cardounel and Ms. Taylor. Nothing we saw or heard during the meeting has persuaded us that the following should not happen:

1. “All video of the incident should be released to the public immediately.
2. “The names of the two officers who shot Ms. Plack should be released immediately, per our policy that no more than 48 hours should pass after such an incident before that happens.
3. “An independent investigation of the incident should be conducted by a prosecutor from another jurisdiction who does not have a working relationship that is intertwined with the law enforcement agency whose employees’ actions are being investigated.

“We commend Chief Cardounel for allowing advocates to view the full video, which he did not have to do.

“We commend Ms. Taylor for asking two outside prosecutors to review the eventual results of her investigation, which she did not have to do.

“These actions are not enough, however, for full transparency or to assure the public that the investigation of this horrific incident was conducted in an impartial manner. The public trust is more important than any rationale that can be offered for not taking the actions listed above.”