Essay On Why Police Should Wear Body Cameras

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).

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 good or bad. 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 you find yourself 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.

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) People have been recently protesting against Police Officers because of the excessive force people have seen them use recently in viral videos. Some Departments have been using body cams and have seen some significant results. “A year-long study in Orlando found use-of-force incidents dropped by 53 percent among officers wearing bodycams and civilian complaints also dropped 65 percent.” ( Should 2) These statistics show that the force by Police Officers decreased significantly for this one city. Imagine how much this would decrease the force of Police Officers globally if they used body cams in all

Opponents of having all police officers wear body cameras cite privacy concerns, especially if the video recordings are made part of the public record. As stated in Source 3 “The Right Body Camera Policy” it states that “the critic’s main objection to the policy is that it will promote dishonest reporting.” For example, Officers that is feared , will tailor their reports to fit the captured images, revealing only what could not be plausibly denied and leaving out other important details. Even when the video footage reveals unambiguous misconduct, officers would be foolish to file dishonest reports.It's important to consider the detrimental consequences of depriving police officers of video that contains information directly pertinent to their fate.It has fed citizens distrust in police reporting and an impulse to shut down any prospect of dishonesty. You would think because police officers wear body cameras that they will be honest and

Having a body camera recording all the time would not be very practical, but it would still capture everything that the officer does; holding them responsible for everything they do. Some could argue that there would have to be some instances where officers could turn the cameras off, but if the officers would be allowed to turn the cameras off they could get away with dreadful deeds. Body cameras could also be seen as an invasion of privacy, but nothing a police officer does while on the job should be private. As well as everyday behavior, the cameras would catch footage of defendants being arrested. The defendants may not wish to be recorded during these moments, but if they did not wish to be recorded they should not have committed a crime. Body cameras have potential to help, even though they have a few flaws.

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.

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

We are all living in a time where technology prevails freely and cameras are found everywhere (Should Police Officers Wear…). These body worn police cameras should be used to reduce the force used by officers in a police-public interaction, decrease the complaints from citizens, and increase accountability (Ariel 730-731). This evidence should show that the benefits of these cameras outweigh the concerns

All people, cops and civilians, act better when they know they are on camera. If cameras hold cops accountable for unjustified actions against minorities, and if cameras force whites to acknowledge racial injustice, then the benefit is obvious. When we become aware that a video-camera is recording our actions, we also become self-conscious that unacceptable behavior is less likely to be captured on film. Body cameras can be beneficial to public because the footage can be used to back legitimate complaints against officers. Communities will be able to see when cops are right or when they are wrong. After the results of a poll called “Race and Reality in America,” it is an acknowledgement that we have a race problem. According to the report, a large majority of minorities say that whether an incident in which an unarmed person is harmed or killed by police is videotaped plays a major role in whether or not the police officer or officers are charged for the crime (CNN Wire). A tangible solution, however, is to put body cameras on all cops. Most blacks feel like they are discriminated against when it comes to police brutality, because they are a minority. In our criminal justice system, the disadvantage of being a minority is

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.

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

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

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. No assuming witnesses will be made towards many officers. As citizens, many are scared of officers just because knowing what they are capable of doing, and also seeing so many viral videos on the internet. All police do not enjoy being criticized by others knowing

The many positives of body cameras come with the downside that it would cost millions of dollars for all policemen to wear a camera on their uniform. The cost of these body cameras may seem like an issue in the beginning, but the way they will be utilized will defiantly pay off in the long run. In order for the cameras to get the proper use the police officer has to turn them on. The American Civil Liberties Union “wants law enforcement agencies to use technology that prevents videos from being deleted by police” (Hill, 2014). This is really important and so is having cameras that cannot be turned off by the police officers, because “ACLU has gotten reports of shenanigans where cameras are mysteriously turned off at crucial moments” (Hill, 2014). Everyone has a right to privacy, but in order to better protect and prevent violence, police officers will have to properly use cameras or be at risk of losing their

All too often media airs news reports with details only revealed that support their own political agenda. Even with that said, if the very officer that is supposed to uphold the laws in society is engaging in misconduct or illegal activity, the public will diminish an officer’s credibility and legitimacy. (Elliot) This is why body worn cameras are so important. Credibility is everything to an officer. 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