Police Should Wear Body Cameras Essay

If you pay attention to the news, you have probably heard about police brutality. There are almost constant reports of police abusing their power and, consequently, injuring those that they are meant to protect. Police should not be required to wear body cameras while on duty! Why should they be monitored to make sure that they are properly doing their job? Why should they be expected maintain the same standards that they enforce on others? Why should there be a way to hold them accountable for their actions?

Police officers need to insure the safety and trust of the citizens by wearing body camera. One argument is that some people believe that body cameras will invade people's privacy. Yes, everyone has the right to keep their issues private, but the officers

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).

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

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.

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

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.

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. All in all, police cameras could greatly improve the behavior of police officers.

A police officer involved in an encounter with shooting or in an unusual situation might recall details inaccurately because of the adrenaline in their system during the altercation. Blame cannot be put on the police officers, as this is often done unintentionally. They cannot be expected to remember every detail of a use-of-force situation, and administering body cameras would aid in correcting any inconsistencies. Incorporating body cameras would accurately portray the events that unfolded and clear up any questions or accusations towards the police officers. Additionally, using body cameras will discourage officers from purposefully filing inaccurate reports. “The Right Body Camera Policy” further expands on this idea, stating, “In general, watching body camera footage should reduce dishonesty in incident reports. When the footage reveals unambiguous misconduct, officers would be foolish to file dishonest reports. And when the footage reveals proper behavior, officers would feel emboldened to present their actions honestly and confidently.” Officers that file false reports would face harsh consequences if the truth ever came out. Therefore, with the application of body cameras, officers would be encouraged to be accurate in their reports, as the cameras would show any inconsistencies between the officer’s story and the real story. Furthermore, keeping a

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

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. In the last 10 years, we saw many conflicts between police officers and citizens, which result into dead of innocent people and it was not a good image for police department. One of the issues is that the law enforcement gives the police

Another alternative to decrease police misconduct is through the use of body cameras which would hold officers accountable for their actions. Often, commanding officers exercise little supervision over the daily activities of their officers. Not only do officers patrol alone, but they are authorized to quickly create solutions and sanctions on the spot. This provides officers the freedom to get away with both minor and major violations to outright crimes. A tactic to prevent this from occurring is to mount body cameras on officers while on duty. Stav Zhiv of Newsweek writes that body cameras “[reduce] the use of force by roughly 50 percent.” allowing for increased transparency and citizen views over police legitimacy. (1) Transparency, or

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.” (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. They can get assaulted everyday almost, and can call for backup if needed. The police are here to protect us citizens from things like that. But with body cameras, security could reach higher levels of security. In Conclusion, these are the reasons why police officers should or shouldn’t wear body

The cameras, made by Scottsdale-based Taser International, show what the officers sees, as it happens.( "ASU Police Now Wearing Body Cameras." KNXV. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2015.) This solution can be carried out for instance many police officers say that body cameras won’t work, but most officers say that it will work out if they put body cameras on their police officers. For example according to the bureau of justice survey,Nearly 90 percent of local police departments were using some type of video camera technology in 2013, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics survey. About 17 percent used automated license plate readers and about 49 percent used video cameras for the surveillance of public areas. Facts about the solution of body cameras on police officers is”25% of the nation 's 17,000 police agencies are using them with fully 80% of agencies evaluating the technology”(What Is Police Brutality? Depends on Where You Live." NBC News. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2015).This solution will solve the problem because it would make the police more aware of what the officers are doing while on duty. For example,This solution solves the problem because surveys have been taken around the country and have said that body worn cameras for officers are

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