Take a Stand: Police Officers Should Wear Body Cameras
Police officers are portrayed as the protectors of the people, the men and women who fight to keep our communities safe, but that image is often blurred when there is a victim involved. In order to guarantee a more efficient justice system, many people turn to look for alternatives to help find answers to unknown questions when settling disputes between police officers and victims. Due to recent incidents of innocent lives lost, police officers should be required to wear body cameras on duty in order to ensure a decrease in misconceptions between the public and the police. By requiring officers to wear body cameras, public outrage can succumb, officers will be able to do their jobs better,
…show more content…
Due to lack of evidence, it is often hard to charge an officer for disorderly conduct, which causes the public outrage and turns them against the justice system. If officers wore body cameras, there would be more evidence to support any claims made between both the officers and the public who ask for answers. A great example of this occurred earlier this year with the death of Mike Brown, who was an unarmed teenager killed by Darren Wilson. Wilson was indicted because of the lack of evidence that Brown was actually a threat. It was basically the public against an officer. There was no direct evidence to support that Darren Wilson indeed used excessive force. With proper evidence, the public would succumb easier to result of any incident because there would be evidence to support the claims that were made. If there was proper evidence that Brown had indeed posed a threat to Wilson, there would not have been as much backlash. As a result of the outcome, communities
People often put their best foot forward when they know they are being watched by their superiors. The implications of body cameras can give officers a push when it comes it putting in the best possible efforts to protect and serve the community. By being conscious of their every move being watched, officers will be careful not to make any obscene choices when on duty. The cameras will be beneficial to both the officers, and the public as they take careful measures to make good
Debates regarding body cameras for police officers have come up frequently in the past years due to an increase of attention in the media of police officers killing black lives. I believe the use of body cameras for police officers can propose pros for the community; such as recording if an officer is not doing the right thing. Or if a citizen would want to make a complaint on an officer, internal affairs can pull the recording and investigate the matter to take care of the complaint appropriately. Another pro to having body cameras for officers is if an officer were to be killed on duty, evidence would be on film to identify who the suspect is and what had occurred on scene. “Fatal confrontations recorded by bystanders are now commonly used
It is unfair to send police officers out into the public with the fear of second guessing themselves every time they make a decision. If they have body cameras they will have the proof of the film to back up whatever decision is made. During a study in 2013 they accumulated stats showing first, Shifts without body cameras experience twice as many incidents of use of force of shifts with body cameras.
The disease of police brutality continues to spread in the United States today and it will not be easy to eliminate. However, there is a cure. President Obama recently announced a $263 million plan to provide funds for body cameras and training for police departments around the United States. Body cameras on Police officers will prevent injustice and become extremely effective in reducing police brutality. In 2014, Michael Brown was fatally shot twelve times and killed by white police officer Darren Wilson.
It’s no secret that everyone holds their own opinion regarding the actions of police officers and other positions of authority within these past years, be it positive or negative. From the shootings of innocent and unarmed civilians to disciplinary action being taken against those that haven’t done anything unlawful, there’s rarely a day when the police force of the United States doesn’t find itself involved in some sort of controversy. No matter what side people find themselves supporting in these instances, be it the police or the civilian, it’s true that both sides can benefit from the use of these police body cameras. Police body cameras hold one main purpose and that’s to deteriorate the ever-present risk of unnecessary aggression on
While most police officers do their responsibilities with integrity and uphold law and order in our communities there have been instances of alleged police misconduct. Several people have demanded that police officers wear body cameras while on duty to address these problems. body cameras may increase responsibility and openness, which is helpful for the police and the communities they serve. Body cameras can help police-community relations by filming interactions between officers and observers while also being used for evidence in situations of suspected crimes. overlooking the advantages of body cameras for police officers and the community that they serve is very important in this context.
Should Body Cameras Be Permitted In All Police Departments? A recent University of South Florida study, which examined the effects of body cameras within the Orlando Police Department, found a 65 percent drop in complaints against officers. Cops who wore the cameras had a 53 percent reduction in officers use of force. The debt on cops wearing body cameras has gone for quite some time now, and the truth is body cameras should be permitted in all police departments.
Some may worry that body cameras on police officers are not necessary a great idea, some may even say it’s against their privacy. According to “Cameras on Cops a Privacy Question “states that Governments and police departments argue that while the cameras provide transparency and accountability, they may also compromise a citizen 's right to privacy and the integrity of some investigations which will inevitably rely on the video in a
First, they shouldn’t wear body cameras because it raises high privacy concerns. For example, “Recordings raise high privacy concerns. In some states, anyone can access the video.” (Should Police Wear Body Cameras, pg.23) Also, “Study Reveals Police Officer Are More Likely To Be Assaulted.”
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.
Now there is two possible outcomes, there was police misconduct and abuse of power, or the police officer did everything correctly and by the book. Either way there needs to be something that can protect the public from police misconduct and also protect law enforcement from dealing with false accusations that can tarnish their reputation. That is why body worn cameras need to be mandatory for all police officers to wear because it protects the public and the police officers that are wearing them. A couple positive outcomes police officers wearing body cameras is how they can lower police officers misuse of authority and also lower false complaints against officers as well. These are two
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 brutality has been one of the most dangerous issues that have been happening around the united states. A solution that has been talked about worldwide is body cameras on police officers. This solution would be very successful in stopping or decreasing police brutality The one that would be successful is the body cameras because the station would know what is going on at all times. How this solution is better is because this solution of body cameras would decrease the amount of crimes caused by the police and this would be beneficial for the police academy to have body cameras on the officers at all times. For example, the police at ASU now have body cameras on them at all times,"It 's just a process of us bringing the ASU police department
Police body cameras are extremely helpful to the justice system and law enforcement because they provide visual and audio evidence for events that have happened. They are efficient and reliable because they are clipped to a police officer's shirt, and records everything that goes on during a dispute. Police body cameras improve police accountability, they provide evidence in criminal cases, and prove police testimony to the public and to Law Enforcement. They record interactions between the police officers and the public, and provide truthful information to the public and Law Enforcement agencies. One thing that police body cameras do is improve police accountability.
A major benefit for having body cams is the fact that it will decrease the force used by Police Officers. For the past couple of years there has been many videos of Police Officers using excessive force against innocent victims, especially with African Americans. “The notion has been around for a while. But since August 's fatal shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri -- for which witness accounts varied widely -- it 's gained traction to become part of the national conversation about police conduct.” (Brandon Griggs 1)
Well, having body cameras as part of an officer’s uniform has its pros and cons. 1.The pros about body cameras are that it can prevent violence. A 2013 University of Cambridge study found that when police wear body cameras, both police and respondents are less likely to use violence. The study indicated a drop in use of force by more than a 50 percent. Body cameras could thus make the streets safer for both officers and the general public (Baum, E.,2015).