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Advocates Want Statewide Policy On Transparency Of Police Internal Investigations

Sparks Police released bodycam footage from a fatal police shooting earlier this year of an 18-year-old black man in the city, after activists called for greater transparency in the case.

Washoe County District Attorney Christopher Hicks announced Monday the Sparks police officers who fatally shot Miciah Lee in January would not face criminal charges.

Adrienne Feemster is an organizer with the local Black Lives Matter group and a member of the NAACP. She says Nevada needs a statewide policy to ensure transparency during internal investigations. 

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"It took too long and this is even considering it normally takes much longer than that. I certainly feel like body cam footage should be released within seven days tops ," she said.

In the past, it has taken up to two years to complete investigations of officer-involved shootings. 

Correction: This story’s reporting on the Washoe County DA’s office has been updated to better reflect the office’s process for reviewing police-shooting investigations.

Bert is a reporter and producer based in Reno, where he covers the state legislature and stories that resonate across Nevada. He began his career in journalism after studying abroad during the summer of 2011 in Egypt, during the Arab Spring. Before he joined Nevada Public Radio and Capital Public Radio, Bert was a contributor at KQED and the Sacramento News & Review. He was also a photographer, video editor and digital producer at the East Bay Express.