Forsyth sheriff says changes already underway after jail death

Just two days after the release of video showing the incident at his county's jail that led to John Neville's death, Forsyth County Sheriff Bobby Kimbrough said changes are already underway in his department.

Kimbrough spoke Friday to the state's Task Force on Racial Equity in the Criminal Justice System during its previously scheduled regional meeting for the Triad. He didn't shy away from the topic, though he did not make any direct comments about the incident, the victim or the five deputies and one nurse facing involuntary manslaughter charges.

"Most of you know what has happened here," he said.

Kimbrough said the detention center is now required to have a paramedic on site 24 hours a day. He's also increasing training requirements for deputies and staff.

"Training is key," he said. "We have 50 people starting next week that’ll be trained in paramedic life skill survival. We’ve talked about – as you’ve just talked about – banning certain practices, techniques."

Task force co-chair Attorney General Josh Stein noted that, as soon as Kimbrough learned about Neville's death, he immediately called in the State Bureau of Investigation to conduct an independent investigation. Stein said the panel is considering recommending that as a best practice for any death in law enforcement custody.

But others who spoke to the task force said it shouldn't have required a lawsuit by media organizations, including WRAL News, to release the body-worn camera footage that showed what actually happened to Neville.

James Perry, with the Urban League of Winston-Salem, told the panel that getting the state's restrictive body camera law changed is his group's top priority for criminal justice reform.

"We go so far to make sure that there are body cameras available for police officers, but it's so hard now to actually be able to see the body camera [videos]," Perry said. "The legislation that restricts the ability to share body camera footage so heavily I think really does a strong disservice to the public."

Stein responded that one of the panel's working groups has been discussing whether to recommend that body cameras be universally required and has been reviewing the ways the footage can be viewed.