“Hands up! Hands up! Drop your weapon!” A voice screams out. You are confused. You have no weapon. You turn around slowly and raise your hands. However, the sound of a shots ring through your ear, and you are pushed backwards. You feel no pain, but you see blood spreading through your shirt. Terror clouds your mind and you raise your hand and call for help. You see a police officer in front of you, but he stands there. He does nothing. Now, you have been lying there for a while, and your adrenaline is dying down. You feel like you are being engulfed in flames, and you writhe in agony on the ground, which is wet from your blood. There are many incidents similar to this one. In fact, there were 1304 Americans killed by the police in just 2015. Something needs to be done about this cruelty. Tragedies such as this one can be greatly reduced by body cameras. …show more content…
But the court expenses that decrease as a result of the body cameras will achieve a return on the investment. In San Francisco, the price for eighteen hundred cameras and a contract with the company Taser will cost at least two point four million dollars. However, the court expenses of San Francisco were 67 million dollars, most of which are the salaries of authorized positions. Since authorized positions are paid by the hour, concrete proof will drastically shorten the time spent in court. But what some people believe is the largest issue about body cameras cannot be easily resolved. Both the police and civilians are concerned about privacy. Police departments may lose civilian trust. People are worried about some of the content captured by a body camera, such as sexual assault or domestic problems. People are worried about when officers will turn on their cameras. An officer might forget to turn their camera on during a pivotal moment. An officer could turn off their camera when another officer shoots a
Police body cameras Police body cameras are a type of video recording system, which used by law enforcement to record their behavior with the people, and also known to increase both police officers and citizens liability. One of the causes that made body cameras almost mandatory was police brutality against citizens, and especially black people. The other cause is just the inconsistency what the police says, and what the people say, why always people should think that the police officer is telling the truth.
Several cities said they would love to equip their officers, but the $200 to $1000 camera for each officer adds up. Then there is the cost of training, maintenance, and storing all of the video files. The Obama administration promised $20 million, but the money has not been approved by Congress. We may be waiting for some time.
One of the biggest concerns of police departments is the cost of implementing cameras and, more importantly, storing the video footage. According to “The Promise and Pitfalls of Cops and Cameras,” the cost of video storage could be as high as $300,000 a year, depending on the duration of time the footage is kept. Video footage is usually stored on the department server for 30-60 days, but it can be even longer if this footage is used in a criminal or disciplinary case; sometimes it is kept forever (Elinson and Frosch). That, combined with the initial cost of the cameras and the maintenance, adds up to tremendous amounts of money that some police departments are just not willing to spend. Another issue people have with body cameras is that they believe that the cameras would be a breach of privacy.
So many lives could be saved and so many police officers’ careers could be saved through the utilization of this idea and the reaping of its benefits. Whether it captures a citizen attack on a police officer or whether it captures a case of police brutality, the great possibilities outweigh the potential cons of police body cameras and make them a risk worth taking. Whether one takes the side of the citizens and believe the police are typically irrational or one takes the side of the police and believe they are only doing their jobs to the best of their ability, the incorporation of body cameras to the controversial police force would be extremely beneficial for
Police Brutality is a huge problem in America today, and few steps are being taken to prevent this justice. There are numerous cases where a police officer’s motives are put into question, leading to public unrest due to controversy. Whether it is racial, simple hate, or if the police officer is simply unstable, there is an easy way to bring justice to this problem. Body cameras have been employed in various cities and states already, and have proven to be effective in reducing police brutality. Body cameras are on the verge of changing policing as we know it.
One said that a solution is body worn cameras. The theory of using body cameras is that police officers will be less likely to do something wrongly if they understand that their actions are being recorded. The United States Department of Justice under Obama’s administration supplied $20 million for body cameras to be implemented in police departments. During a case study attempting to test the effects that body cameras had on police actions, researchers found evidence that suggested that police used less force with civilians when they had body cameras. Police are supposed to have the cameras on from the time as they receive a call of an incident to when the entire encounter is
Opponents may argue that body worn cameras should not be mandatory for police offi cers to wear while on duty. These individuals claimed that body cameras invade the privacy of citizens due to the fact that police offices are able to enter houses while the hammer is rolling. The public may see the body cameras as an invasion of privacy to them ignoring all the major benefits that come with the cameras that could be helpful to them in the long run. Citizens expect to have their actions recorded publicly by security cameras or by others but the do not expect to have the privacy of their home to be recorded and if a police officer that is wearing a body worn camera does a house search the civilians actions are going to be recorded.(Williams)
(Study Reveals Police Officers Wearing Body Cameras Are More Likely To Be Assaulted, pg.1) In my understanding, the critics are saying their privacy is more important than their security. We can use body cameras to help solve crimes and protect our country in the process. They are also saying police officers are more likely to be assaulted. Police Officers are here to deal with violence.
Although officers claim they aren’t as unprofessional as everyone says, many people beg to differ. A lot of people have evidence on how they were mistreated, and how the officers weren’t at all professional. Others have been killed and seriously injured, but the idea is still up in the air after several years. To protect themselves, and others around them, police officers should be forced to wear body cameras while they’re in a case or are talking to a suspect while on duty. Having to wear body cameras would be a positive way to help the authorities to see the truth better than just having to listen to the voice recorder.
Thesis statement: Police should wear body cameras because playing body cameras could improve the public’s view of police by showing the human side, help to provide evidence when a person may not be able to, and it protects the officers and public both. Cameras Imagine there is a huge case going on where a police officer is coming under question on if dealt with a potential suspect in the correct way. Now think about the money being used to provide lawyers, a judge, a jury, etc., to handle the high profile case.
Both law enforcement and civil rights advocates are excited by the potential benefits of body worn cameras to improve community policing and safety. There are many benefits for both citizens and law enforcement officials if body
Police body cameras are a necessity for the protection of the perpetrator from an officer that is using excessive force to get him or her to calm down and obey orders. People need to feel safe and should not feel afraid of the cops when they are doing nothing wrong, by using body cameras everyone is and feels
These body cameras protect the truth with all officers. As the victims step on the court what many don’t know is the truth is carried by officers at all times. These will be supporting any court trail’s if other people have videos it does not have a chance to beat the body cameras. The point of these cameras is so that nothing really bad goes wrong and so officers won’t be accused of police brutality. All this is positive for any law enforcement, nobody will be lying about anything.
Imagine how much this would decrease the force of Police Officers globally if they used body cams in all
2. Another good thing about it is that police officers or the aggressor can be held accountable for their actions. Continuously wearing body cameras would hold police accountable for their appropriate, and inappropriate, conduct (Baum, E.,2015). 3. The cons about body cameras are privacy issues and limitations.