Prescott Valley — Several residents used the meeting’s public-comment period April 20 to criticize the release and social-media circulation of a Prescott Valley Police Department body-worn camera video showing a traffic stop that involved a town council member and to urge the town to adopt stronger controls on release of such footage.

Steve Caroll (Pronghorn Ranch) told the council he had distributed material from the National Institute of Justice about the purposes of police body cameras and said the purposes did not include the apparent public release of the video at issue. He asked whether the officer had filed criminal charges ("Did the officer file criminal charges against the council member? No."), whether the council member filed a complaint ("No."), and whether it was appropriate for an uninvolved private citizen to obtain and use such footage against a council member.

Jennifer Pratt said the video had allowed her to see a young woman she knew receive an award, but said the footage raised questions about the officer’s situation and the community’s understanding of the stop. She said, "I do believe others have been affected negatively. The police officer, has been put in an awful position."

Former council member Lucy Leyva said the video showed a council member driving about 20 mph over the limit in a residential area and "When approached by the officer and instead of taking responsibility for his actions, this council member lied and suggested that he should not receive a ticket. This reaction is not just inappropriate." She urged leaders to acknowledge mistakes and work to regain the public’s trust.

Councilman Ken Freund responded during the public-comment period with an apology. He said the stop occurred last year, that he had been given preliminary briefings he later learned were incorrect, and that the driver in the related crash was later charged with drugged driving. Freund said, "I paid my ticket, I did traffic school, and I learned a lifelong lesson."

Cindy Neeve, a resident, defended the council member as "one of the kindest persons I have ever known" and urged the public to temper social-media criticism. She said community safety infrastructure — including crosswalks and multiuse paths — was part of a broader conversation about traffic safety.

Commenters urged the town manager and town attorney to establish formal, lawful controls on the release of body-camera footage to avoid future "inappropriate use and abuse by uninvolved parties for political purposes," and to protect both members of the public and officers from reputational harm. The council did not take formal action on the comments at the meeting.