Argumentative Essay On Body Cameras

​A major discussion found in police departments today are the use of body cameras. Like every major decision, there are pros and cons that must be discussed. Some agree that body cameras “reduce misconduct” within the law enforcement community, as well as providing a “neutral third eye” for proof of actions and conversations. (policemisconduct.com & policeone.com). Others believe the cost and complexity of storing; along with the invasion of privacy is huge issue. This essay will discuss the positive and negative qualities regarding the use of body cameras and how they affect the community.

Within recent years there has been much controversy surrounding police officers and whether or not they should be wearing body cameras to document their everyday interactions with the public. While the use of body cameras may seem to invade the public or police privacy. Police-worn body cameras will be beneficial to law enforcement and civilians all over the world. Police must be equipped with body cameras to alleviate any doubt in the effectiveness of officers. Law enforcement worn body cameras would enhance the trust of the public by keeping both the officers and the citizens accountable for their actions, providing evidence, and helping protect them from false accusations, while protecting privacy

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

The belief in the beneficial nature of using body-worn cameras in police work is becoming widely accepted. It has come to the point that that even police officers and their unions are supporting the universal use of body-cameras. For example, in Washington D.C., the police union backed a policy change by management mandating body cameras (Mangu-Ward). It is unusual for the police union to support a policy change mandated by management. In this case, that policy change was not subject to union approval. However, the union feels like cameras protect police. The union said that it favors body cameras because they will discourage citizens from filing false complaints against police. People who want to make false complaints will know that there is evidence to show that those complaints are false. In addition, in a

With today’s advanced technology, police body cameras have proven to be very useful. They are crucial in putting an end to unnecessary police misconduct. In 2012, the Rialto Police Department in California implemented police body cameras and recorded the outcome. The results showed that “the number of complaints filed against officers fell by 88 percent compared with the previous 12 months. Use of force by officers fell by almost 60 percent over the same period” (Lovett). Without a doubt, police body cameras do the trick to prevent potentially dangerous situations from occurring. As William A. Farrar, the Rialto police chief once stated, “When you put a camera on a police officer, they tend to behave a little better, follow the rules a little better. And if a citizen knows the officer is wearing a camera, chances are the citizen will behave a little better.” I strongly agree with this statement because if the interaction between the officer and the citizen is being recorded, neither of the two will want to behave badly. The citizen knows that their bad behavior could result in consequences and the officer knows that their misconduct could result in punishment or even the loss of their job. The cameras record every detail that can be looked back on if there was a complaint filed against the officer that was wearing it. Clearly, police body

Jamar Newsome Abstract Police departments nationwide have began to consider body cameras. Implementing body cameras department wide face many issues due to funding restrictions. Rialto Police Department faced the s

There are three main points supporters argue in this debate of why police should be mandated to wear body cameras. First, supporters state that police body cameras can help solve police brutality. The first police department in the United States to implement police body cameras was in Rialto, California, and according to Al Jazeera America, "The department saw an 88 percent decline in complaints against officers and use of force incidents plummeted to 60 percent" (Demetrius and Okwu 2). These supporters think if we were to implement police body cameras for all police departments in the United States, then these effects on police brutality could be attained nationwide. Second, supporters believe that body cameras will punish corrupt police

In today’s society no one is safe from everyday peril. Situations arise daily that may present either a law enforcement official or civilian that could warrant the need for extra protection. In some cases it is a matter of he said, she said. For those faced with such situations, documentation that could be provided by body cameras worn by police officials could be of great use. Body cameras have been tested in a small group of police departments and have provided an overwhelming positive effect. Police officers wearing body cameras not only provide the officers with extra peace o mind but give civilians documentation to back up their sides of the story. Not everyone is in favor of police

Police body cameras are becoming more common in major cities around the us, and are meant to lower aggression and complaints brought upon the department's. Though the cameras are only becoming a big topic there have been many studies and debates in whether or not the cameras should be mandatory for all departments. The main and most talked about disadvantage of the cameras is the questions it raises about privacy of cops and the public. On the other hand one of the upsides are how much they will help in court cases by lowering costs and time spent. When in court the cameras can either show is it is a case of police brutality or if the cop handled the situation properly.

Firstly, police officers should be required to use body cameras because the body cameras will help the police officers to file a truthful report. For example, "Exposure to the video footage will almost certainly enable them to provide richer and more accurate accounts of the incident. But the critics' main objection to the policy is that it will promote dishonest reporting. Officers, it 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." In other words, by the police officers reviewing the video footage, they can give a more detail honest response.

There is a changing climate in Law Enforcement that is heavily impacting police departments across the country. Many police departments presently have a combat decision that affects an already limited budget which is the implementation of a police officer wearing a body camera. Though this change is seemingly inevitable, it can be an investment that alleviates the department and police officer from allegations of misconduct. Furthermore, body cameras can prove to be an invaluable tool for officers and investigators while helping the department become more transparent and accountable to its citizens.

In Albuquerque, New Mexico a woman claims that an officer sexually assaulted her during a DUI stop, she claims that the officer inappropriately touched her while she was waiting in the car but due to the officer wearing a body camera the officer was cleared of any charges (PoliceOne, 2014). Body cameras are the new tools many have asked for law enforcement to begin implementing on officers. Originally body cameras were wanted to help protect citizens from unjust crimes of police brutality and discriminatory behavior but in the story above it is shown that body cameras also helps protect officers from disgruntled citizens with wrongful claims and brings a more objective light to a situation.

As we stare at society today we all know what changes have been made, what challenges we have been facing as well as what’s to come in our near future. Some may be blind to what’s really going on while others are just heartless to any situation. In recent news channels and articles the main topics are on police/citizen interaction. These interactions have been going on for many years but now that society has changed and people are finding their voices its coming to light. From cries of excessive police use of force, racial profiling, and repeated reports of police misconduct, there has to be a way to improve the relationship. Now with the new body worn cameras being imputed, this should

While implementing body-worn cameras, it is important to create clear, black and white guidelines. These guidelines should provide room for changes as the program evolves over time. It is important to consult with supervisors, officers, legal advisors, the police unions, prosecutors, and the public while implementing such a project (Miller). It is important to take your time with implementing body cameras, as there is a large amount of information available. This makes the deployment of this program difficult to uniformly disperse. There are many possible and unforeseen hurdles that may come up during implementation and early stages of the use of body-worn cameras. Agencies which have successfully implemented body-worn cameras, have stressed the importance of proceeding slowly and with caution. By doing this, we can reduce high risk high impact problems while catching most large problems early on.

Every police officer in the United States should wear body cameras in order to improve trust and rebuild relationships between citizens and law enforcement officers. Studies done across the country have shown a significant decrease in not only citizen complaints brought against the law enforcement but also a decline in incidents where police were involved in forceful activity or brutality. Body cameras will protect cops from false accusations while also protecting citizens from police brutality. In order for law enforcement to be effective there must to be complete trust between citizens and policemen. Officers cannot do their jobs well if their actions are continually second-guessed or incorrectly relayed to media by bystanders later. Implementing body cameras across the country will allow for the transparency of law enforcement actions and the safety of citizens they interact with.