Body Cameras Research

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Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, was shot and killed on August 9, 2014 by Darren Wilson, a white police officer, in Ferguson, Missouri. The shooting prompted protests. When it was announced that Officer Wilson would not be indicted, the announcement set off another wave of protests. Not all police officers are dishonest and abuse their power but It 's obvious that today 's community of people has a suspicion of officers true intentions. The idea of cops and cameras has been around for a while but ever since the fatal shooting of Michael Brown the debate on whether police officers should be required to wear body cameras has been the center of attention. I believe that police officers should have to wear body cameras while on duty. …show more content…

Body cameras help address issues with inappropriate police behavior and police brutality. According to the article, “Body Cameras Worn by Police Officers Are No ‘Safeguard of Truth,’ Experts Say”, One officer in Phoenix, Arizona was fired after his body camera captured repeated incidents of unprofessional conduct. The video shows the officer swearing at suspects, calling them names, and insulting them. Continuously wearing body cameras would hold police accountable for their appropriate and inappropriate conduct. Body cameras could prevent cases like the Ferguson shooting. There was no way for the public to know for sure what had happened. Of course there is the opposing side 's argument that there is no practicality to have cameras play constantly a cop could just as easy turn off the camera at the very moment they should be recording an important interaction, there 's nothing to stop cops from abusing this privilege. The officer could turn his camera off, but it could end up risking his job. For example the article mentions an officer in Daytona Beach, Florida was forced to quit after he was caught turning off his camera. Also the article mentions another officer that was fired in Albuquerque because his camera was off when he shot and killed a woman. Theses examples show that officers are not complying with the requirement are being held accountable by losing their jobs. There must be guidelines for when police should turn their cameras on and off. Many current policies encourage the cameras to be turned on only when police are among the public which is

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