EXCLUSIVE: Ferguson Police Chief Lied About Michael Brown Surveillance Tape

by Matthew Keys (http://theblot.com/author/matthewkeys)

(http://theblot.com)

THEBLOT INVESTIGATIONS (HTTP://THEBLOT.COM/CATEGORY/THEBLOT-INVESTIGATIONS)

SOCIAL

Documents obtained exclusively by TheBlot show Thomas Jackson misled the public and
journalists about the Michael Brown tape.

The chief of police for the Ferguson Police Department misled members of the media
and the public when he asserted that his hand was forced in releasing surveillance
footage that purported to show 17-year-old resident Michael Brown engaged in a
strong-arm robbery at a convenience store hours before he was fatally shot by a police
officer.

Chief Thomas Jackson distributed copies of the surveillance tape at a press conference on

Chief Thomas Jackson distributed copies of the surveillance tape at a press conference on
Aug. 15 (http://www.cnn.com/2014/08/15/us/missouri-teen-shooting/) in tandem with
the public release of the identity of the officer who was responsible for shooting Brown.
When questioned by members of the press about the tape which apparently had
nothing to do with the fatal shooting of the unarmed teenager Jackson told reporters
that he was legally obligated to release the tape because member of the media had
submitted an open records requests for it.
Weve had this tape for a while, and we had to diligently review the information that
was in the tape, determine if there was any other reason to keep it, Jackson said at the
press event. We got a lot of Freedom of Information requests for this tape, and at some
point it was just determined we had to release it. We didnt have good cause, any other
reason not to release it under FOI.
Jackson later said that the officer who fatally shot Brown identified as Officer Darren
Wilson (http://www.vox.com/cards/mike-brown-protests-ferguson-missouri/mikebrown-police-officer-darren-wilson) did not know that Brown had allegedly been
involved in a robbery earlier in the day when the officer confronted Brown on a Ferguson
road hours later. When asked by a reporter why the agency would release the surveillance
tape, even though it appeared to have nothing to do with the fatal shooting of the
teenager, Jackson replied: Because you asked for it.

However, a review of open records requests sent to the Ferguson Police Department
found that no news organization, reporter or individual specifically sought the release of
the surveillance tape before police distributed it on Aug. 15.

Last month, TheBlot Magazine requested a copy of all open records requests made by
member of the public including journalists and news organizations that specifically
sought the release of the convenience store surveillance video. The logs, which were itself
obtained under Missouris open records law, show only one journalist
(http://www.scribd.com/doc/238701520/City-of-Ferguson-FOIA-Request-Log) Joel
Currier with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch broadly requested any and all
multimedia evidence leading up to Browns death on Aug. 9.
Other records that would have been subject to Curriers request, including 9-1-1 call
recordings and police dispatch tapes, have yet to be formally released by the agency.
The logs contradict Jacksons claim that a lot of reporters had specifically asked for
the robbery surveillance tape through open records requests before his agency released
the footage. The documents raise more questions about why the video which, by the
chiefs own admission, had nothing to do with the shooting death of the teenager was
released in the first place.
A Ferguson police spokesperson did not return a request for comment.
The Department of Justice had asked the Ferguson police department not to distribute a
copy of the surveillance tape, according to a report by NBC News
(http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/michael-brown-shooting/feds-urged-police-notrelease-michael-brown-robbery-video-n182346). DOJ officials confirmed they had a
copy of the tape, but said they never considered releasing it, NBC said.
Shortly after the tape was released, the Brown family released a statement charging police
with attempting to smear the character of the slain teenager.
Michael Browns family is beyond outraged at the devious way the police chief has
chosen to disseminate piecemeal information in a manner intended to assassinate the
character of their son, the family said in a statement. It is no way transparent to release
the still photographs alleged to be Michael Brown, and refuse to release the photographs
of the officer that executed him.
Family attorney Benjamin Crump echoed the same sentiment in a statement e-mailed to
TheBlot early Friday morning.
The reports of the Ferguson Police Chief deliberate misleading account about the basis
for his release of the video tape is very troubling to Michael Browns family, Crump
wrote. It follows a disturbing pattern of behavior by the Ferguson Police Department

since this tragedy occurred. This simply serves as another example of why many in the
Ferguson community lack trust in all of the local law enforcement officials and the grand
jury process, in general and Chief Jackson, in particular.
Days of violent protests and looting plagued the community of Ferguson immediately
after Browns death. Some attributed the violence to the militant response by the
Ferguson Police Department, prompting the Missouri State Highway Patrol to assume
security in the town.
Peaceful demonstrations were held shortly after the MSHP stepped in; however, violence
reignited in Ferguson the evening after the surveillance tape was released.
[Jackson] is inciting the community all over again, Brown family attorney Anthony
Gray said.
DOCUMENT: See the FOIA request log obtained by TheBlot Magazine
(http://www.scribd.com/doc/238701520/City-of-Ferguson-FOIA-Request-Log)

SHOW ME MORE LIKE CITY OF FERGUSON FOIA REQUEST LOG

SIMILAR TO CITY OF FERGUSON FOIA REQUEST LOG
BACK TO DOC
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Matthew Keys is a contributing journalist for TheBlot Magazine (http://theblot.com).

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