Do Police Need Body Cameras Essay

“Take a Picture (or Video), It Lasts Longer” On August 9th 2014, Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, was shot and killed by police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson Missouri. On November 24th, the St. Louis grand jury decided there were no probable cause to indict Mr. Wilson. This decision sparked an outrage around the community where building where set on fire and lootings were prevalent around the city. With much of the evidence being he-say-she-say, it is hard for the public to actually know what happened. This led to an increased interest in body cameras.

Have you ever seen a police officer wearing a body camera? If you did, you are one of a kind, we are still debating if the police should wear them. The video recordings from body cameras provide valuable evidence while raising high concerns of privacy. The recordings cameras provide are valuable when police and civilian witness differ. I believe that police officers should wear body cameras for two important reasons. First, is letting the community know what the police are doing. Another, to find truth or false statements or accusations.

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.

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. Police officers should wear body cameras, because the use of body cameras should both reduce the use of force and lessen the need and the opportunity to lie about it. Also video footage from the body cameras will provide police superiors with a potent tool for reliable supervision, debriefing and discipling, enabling them to commend the good.

Police body cameras hold one main purpose and that’s to work to prevent brutality on the parts of both the officer and civilian(s) in question. The Police brutality issue finds itself weaved into history, going back as far as the 19th century. Of course, the idea of equipping police officers with body cameras wasn't around at that time, but one can’t help but entertain the thought of how much more peaceful things would be today had we been able to incorporate them sooner. Whether anyone will really admit it or not, the police have a long history of

Police Body Cameras Should be Taken Into Consideration “ In Rialto, California, a police department has been using body mounted cameras and recording what happens between officers and the public. The use of force by officers declined 60% during the first year the cameras were introduced and citizen complaints against officers dropped by 88% (Safety vision). This statistic proves the debate of police body cameras or not.

Police officers should be required to wear body cameras, because they increase accountability, strengthen the protection of officers and citizens, and help prevent violence. The need for police body cameras is growing every day since there are so many disagreements that come from the actions of police officers. Being a police officer means putting your life at risk every time you work. When police officers wear a

One might say, "Well cops have nothing to hide so it shouldn 't be a big problem for them to have the cameras right?" But regardless of the person who says that, police are humans too. Body cameras in policing will improve the accountability of each officer because people behave differently when they know they are being watched and police should feel the same way. The first reason why police should wear body cameras is because when police use the camera, the camera will

Michael Brown. Everyone has heard this name tossed around on the news, heard the debates and the speculations of what truly happened. This unarmed African American teenager, shot and killed in a wrongful police encounter, was just one of the victims of police brutality this year. Countless other casualties have occurred as a result of similar crimes and most have one specific thing in common. The accused officers in a majority of these cases escaped with no consequences. For instance, the court dropped Michael Brown’s case after almost a year of consideration because of a lack of evidence. The responsible officer, Darren Wilson, suffered almost no repercussions. Unfortunately, stories like this are cropping up all over the country, with gruesome

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.

Although some people may not like body cams, their benefits are too important to ignore. There has been many citizens that have complained about the use of body cameras. Police Officers have commented that these body cameras invade unwanted personal privacy. Some Police Officers believe that body cameras will not help decrease force by Police Officers because a

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.

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.

From interactions on the street to testifying in open court, an officer’s word is everything. Once that credibility is gone it is almost impossible for that officer to continue in a law enforcement capacity. Body cameras have emerged as a potential solution to the evolving discussion around police trust and legitimacy issues. One benefit of having a body camera is that if a critical incident, officer involved shooting, or accusation of brutality arises, the camera will provide footage from the officer’s point of view that

Should All Police Officers Wear Body Cameras? Surely everyone has wondered about the accountability of police officers, but maybe this will no longer be an issue. With the help of police body cameras, officers will be accountable for the good they do, and in some situations the awful actions. Although police body cameras would be a moral idea, there are some downsides. The body cameras could be seen as an invasion of privacy, as they would record everyday behavior for police officers, which is not necessary to record.