Why Are Police Body Cameras Important

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

Well, having body cameras as part of an officer’s uniform has its pros and cons.

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

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

Police behavior could greatly improve with the assistance of body cameras. The body cameras could be a magnificent idea and could improve the public's view on police officers, as long as they are utilized responsibly. Even though they are a good idea, police cameras do have a few disadvantages that cannot be overlooked. Police body cameras are a respectable idea, and they would improve the process of arrests, allow civilians to see the good in officers, and keep officers responsible and

The use of previous videos can be detrimental to new cops because it can teach them how to deal with many different situations correctly that way they don’t put their career in jeopardy or the lives of their partners in danger. Everyone knows that there is always three sides to a story: what one individual says happens, what the other individual says happened, and what happened. With the execution of body-worn cameras, it would eliminate, the reduction seen in complaints filed and sustained against officers and videos can reduce the need for lengthy

“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. Though these cameras have a big price tag, they are a piece of equipment all officers need to wear in order to maintain a more clear picture of what happens in an incident.

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.

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

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

The camera has become one of the most important tools in the history of police and now the body cameras have taken the efficiency and the trustworthiness of the police into higher grounds than the past. These special cameras are so small that they can be mounted on sunglasses, clipped to the helmets or hats or it can be placed in the collar of the uniform. The officers have to wear them throughout the shift and the battery can last more than 12 hours. One of these cameras can be purchased at the price of $ 1200. There are several advantages for the officer.

In this week’s module one content. I learned that there should always be police integrity and community trust. “With police and community trust, there is an honored relationship between citizens and a government agency.” (Community Trust and Police Integrity, p.7-16) Secondly, police officers must be trusted to behave in an ethical way on their own. “When a terrible crime has occurred, the public may demand that the police solve it ‘no matter what they have to do,’ and so there is pressure to use unnecessary force” (Wilson, Police Ethics). Finally, police officers should always have a positive response to a negative incident. “They can learn from incidents of police misconduct and take steps to correct the policies and practices that allow misconduct to occur.” (Walker, Policing the Police).