Are Law Enforcement Cameras Invasion Of Privacy Essay

Body cameras can hold police officers accountable for their actions, both the good and the bad. “Continuously wearing body cameras would hold police accountable for their appropriate, and inappropriate, conduct” (Buam). Also when the citizens make accusations they could pull the video from the camera and see whether the police officer did what they said they did or not. “Video recorded by body cams protect any false accusations, misconduct, or abuse

Over the last few years there has been much controversy leading up to the need for law enforcement officers to wear body cameras. This is not only for citizens but also for the officers’ protection. With so much debate regarding police brutality and excessive force body cameras are quickly on the rise. New technology is giving police on a state and federal level a new opportunity to cut back on some of the allegations and negativity we have seen in the last few years. On the other hand it is giving citizens all over the country the safety they should feel when being approached by law enforcement. Our technology has improved significantly over the years and this seems to be something that will benefit everyone.

The cameras are very small portable devices, it’s the size and length of a cigarette stick. The camera is attached to the police officers uniform and sits in a pocket. Usually police officers are required to wear this body camera while they are on duty. The cameras record everything that happens between officers and civilians. The Rialto Police Department was the first to actually use and wear the body cameras in 2012. They did a yearlong study to see the impact of police relations by wearing body cameras. One officer wasn’t feeling too good about this idea because he thought the cameras would be to punish them instead of helping them out. “During the first year after the cameras were introduced, the use of force by police officers reportedly declined 60% and complaints from citizens against law enforcement officers decreased 88%.” This was a yearlong study in which 54 officers had to

Another advantage to law enforcement agents wearing body cameras is to document the contact made between the officer and the victim and/or suspect. This documentation can be used as evidence in

Body cameras in policing are still new, but more and more agencies are beginning to implement this technology into their line of work. At first police officers were very hesitant to wear these body cameras because they were afraid they would infringe themselves and give away their own privacy. Later, as body cameras were beginning to see more use in the work place, officers began to realize that these very own body cameras that they once thought would only cause themselves harm would actual prove to be useful in a variety of situations. Some of these situations can be citizen complaints, to even backing up an officers use of force. Body cameras can be the one sole thing that can give

There have been various situations in which police officers have been falsely accused. Obviously not all police officers are committing misconduct, so the ones that are not would have nothing to hide while wearing a body camera. The purpose of these body cameras are to find out the the truth of what occurs during a one on one encounter with an officer and a citizen. These body cameras would force officers and citizens to be on their best behaviors because now they know they are being recorded and that tape can and will be used against them.

They can help make sure that any information given from the officers is correct and not incorrect. They can get the full truth in a report given by an officer. With body cameras you can compare the report to the video footage. Body cameras are a very useful tool in the world today.

Body cameras can be used for safety to prevent crime. Civilians can think twice before attacking a police officer by knowing everything is being recorded. Even though, civilians, may think body cameras are invading their privacy. The cameras are for safety purposes, and to avoid any police brutality. Also, police officers will not abuse their power of authority, by knowing they have a body camera and it can turn against them.

In today’s world, body cameras are being worn by more than half of the police officers in the United States. Many people will say that body cameras are invading their privacy and they will cause bigger issues, but others will say that the body cameras are an improvement and will help everyone out in the long run by resolving the issues. Body cameras will prevent incidents of police brutality and improve law enforcement. They should be worn for the police officer’s safety as well as the citizens who are interacting with the police, so that way the footage will show what really happened in a situation.

Imagine you received mistreatment from a police officer and decide to take legal action against them. The situation becomes their word against yours because there is no evidence to prove the mistreatment you suffered. Not all police officers are out to treat people incorrectly or use excessive force; however, in the cases when they do, there is usually no way to prove that it happened. There are also cases where people say they were mistreated by a police officer, but it is not true. What if there were a way to monitor how cops interact with the public? Body cameras offer a solution to the need to monitor police actions. They capture the truth, whether good or bad, that happens with police officers. Police should wear body cameras to be protected from legal cases, as demonstrated in the case of David Muniz, who was accused of being the reason for a Cleveland man’s death.

One benefit would be that it is valuable in investigations. Whether it is recording statements and eye witness accounts or recording intense encounters, the cameras will be running the entire time in order to show complete transparency on what happens between officers and citizens. Because of this transparency body cameras can help judges refute false claims made against officers or citizens. They also provide evidence that is difficult to refute in court. Another benefit of body cameras is that they would reduce crime, because criminals are less likely to conduct crimes when they are on camera. On the other side of the spectrum, they also keep officers in line. Chavis (2017) stated that body-worn cameras help hold police officers accountable when they use deadly force to subdue a suspect. Chavis (2017) also said that body cameras could deter wrongful accusations toward police officers. After their encounters with citizens, their actions can be reviewed and

Disobeying and dishonest police officers are the ones that would have something to worry about because they can lose their jobs and potentially get time in prison for crime they have done that was caught on film. This is a positive as well because it will seek out negative officers. The majority of findings that can happen by requiring police officers to wear body cameras are positives rarely any negatives. It would not only show undeniable evidence but also make more police officers obey the law which has been proven by statics. Kaste states “The people who like body cameras always point to a Study done in Rialto, Calif, in 2012. Researchers found that officers who wore cameras used force less often — incidents dropped by more than 50 percent”(kaste). According to Kaste a study was done on police officers that used body cameras and it was ruled that officers that used body cameras used less force and the amount of incidents that happend dropped by 50 percent. Civilians as well if they know everything is being recorded by them they will think twice before doing anything that could get them into some sort of

These would make it much harder for courts to favor one side since the evidence would be right there. With the use of body cameras, police would not be able to hide behind shady stories from witnesses. Furthermore, a study has been done on how body cameras effect on police. One statistic showed that the use of force by police officers went down by 50% (Ariel) and another survey was done to show that 85% of officers said that body cameras would reduce false claims (Wyllie). There doesn’t seem to be any down sides to body cameras. Many officers seem to want them and the use of force went down. Body cameras would help to make sure there is less bias in the police force and the

Body cameras are needed for one big reason: enticing evidence. Video footage is much more reliable and trustworthy than a testimony of only words. The reason many of the officers lie, is to justify their actions,

Some might say that these cameras aren't a privacy violation, because the police vehicles already have cameras on them recording. This is an invalid argument because those cameras might already be invading privacy, just not as often. Body cameras will record everything the officer can see, while the car's camera has a limited field of