Are there full unedited video or audio recordings of the 2015 incident and where can they be accessed?
Executive summary
Full, unedited audiovisual records of particular 2015 incidents do exist in some public archives and news repositories, but availability varies by incident and by legal/privacy rules: for example, Kent State Libraries hosts “raw, unedited recordings” from 1970-era WKSU reporters as an archival example [1], while national agencies often withhold or only release transcripts for sensitive cockpit/recorder audio [2] [3]. Public bodies and police departments make some body‑worn and surveillance video public via official portals and archives, but release practices and redaction rules differ across agencies [4] [5].
1. Different incidents, different rules: no single repository for “2015 incident” footage
There is no universal store of every “full unedited” recording from 2015; access depends on the incident type and the custodian. Libraries and archives sometimes publish raw, unedited contemporaneous recordings — for example Kent State University Libraries catalogs “Audio Recording: Raw, Unedited Recordings on the Scene by WKSU Reporters” [1]. By contrast, accident investigators and some federal agencies restrict raw audio release and may provide transcripts only [2] [3]. Municipal police departments increasingly publish body‑camera and surveillance video via their own portals, but only for incidents they choose to release [4] [5].
2. Government investigators and cockpit/forensic audio: transcripts often, raw audio rarely
Federal accident investigations illustrate legal limits. The NTSB and related rules prohibit public release of certain cockpit voice recorder tapes; agencies may instead release transcripts (edited or unedited) under statute [2]. News coverage shows recovered crash audio may be confirmed as recovered but withheld from public release [3]. That pattern signals that for aviation or similarly regulated evidence, “full unedited” audio is often legally retained rather than published.
3. Police and transit video: increasing public portals, but expect redaction
Local police and transit agencies have launched online video archives for released footage — for instance the Chicago Police Department lists a crime video archive [4] and the Salt Lake City Police Department posts body‑worn camera releases and media request procedures [5] [6]. These portals provide a clear route to obtain released videos, but the materials are agency selections, often edited/redacted to protect privacy or legal integrity [7]. If you want the unedited master file, agencies commonly keep originals in evidence systems and release redacted copies only [7].
4. Media outlets and partisan sites: “full unedited” claims need vetting
Commercial and partisan outlets sometimes claim to publish “the full unedited video” — for example a 2015 Daily Caller article headlined “Here’s The Full, Unedited Video…” — but those claims require verification against original sources and chain‑of‑custody because edits can be subtle and metadata matter [8]. Independent archives like the Internet Archive sometimes host user‑uploaded “full unedited” footage [9] [10], but provenance and authenticity require forensic checks [11].
5. Where to look first — practical access steps
Begin with the custodial agency or archive tied to the incident: university libraries or special collections for campus/press recordings (example: Kent State) [1]; official police or transit media pages for body‑cams and surveillance (examples: Chicago PD archive; SLCPD releases) [4] [5]; national investigative bodies or FOIA portals for crash or federal investigations (noting legal restrictions on tapes) [2] [3]. Secondary search points include established archival sites (Internet Archive) and reputable news organizations; treat partisan claims of “full unedited” uploads as leads to verify [8] [9].
6. Authentication and limitations you must accept
Digital files can be altered; forensic authentication is a separate technical process and experts find edited audio/video sometimes indistinguishable without metadata and originals [11]. Agencies typically preserve originals and release edited/redacted versions to the public to protect privacy and legal process [7]. Available sources do not mention a single public catalog that lists every 2015 unedited recording across incident types; you must pursue each recording with the responsible institution (not found in current reporting).
7. Competing viewpoints and agendas to watch for
Archivists and transparency advocates push for full public access to primary recordings; legal and privacy defenders argue for redaction or withholding to protect victims and ongoing prosecutions [7] [2]. Media outlets and partisan sites may promote the appearance of “full” footage to advance a narrative; independent archives and forensic experts recommend verifying provenance and chain‑of‑custody before treating uploaded “unedited” files as definitive [8] [9] [11].
If you tell me which specific 2015 incident you mean, I will search the custodial agencies and archives listed above and report exactly where (and whether) any full unedited audio or video is publicly available, citing the relevant sources.