Body Cameras Influence Police-Citizens Interaction

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

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

“In the first year after the camera 's introduction, the use of force by officers’ decline 60%, and citizens’ complaints against police fell 88%”. (Christopher Mims) The introduction of police body cameras impacted the world in many better ways than bad. But, police body cameras were introduced due to the public 's awareness to police brutality and numerous of publicity deaths which has impacted the outcome of police interactions.

When police officers wear body cameras, less complaints are filed, use-of-force situations decrease, and training opportunities are gained. In 2012

Law enforcement agencies have been in a heated debate in the use of body cams by the surrounding communities because of the use of force incidents that have occurred in the media. Body cameras are the new age technology that allows law enforcement agencies to record encounters with the community. There are some positives aspects of law enforcement wearing body cams. The body cam allows the officer to interact with residents which will help to eliminate complaints about police behavior and the use of force encounters. The body cam gives video evidence of the decisions made by on-duty law enforcement in violent situations. This helps keep accountability of law enforcement and the ensure that the department and decreases liability. Because the

First off, wearing body worn cameras will provide better security to both police officers and civilians. In an experiment composed by the University of Cambridge’s Institute of Criminology (IoC), in which police officers in Rialto, California wore cameras as a part of their uniform for one year., results gathered from the experiment proved to be beneficial. According to the experiment, “... use-of-force by officers wearing cameras fell by 59% and reports against officers dropped by 87%...” (Lewsey). This proves that BWC’s have a positive effect on police

The community will feel more trustful towards the police and the work they do if they have the body cameras that can support their work. The police department in Rialto, California has received 88 percent less complaints since using body cameras than those not using body cameras (Police Body).

It was found that the body cameras significantly reduced the occurrence of police violence and the number of brutality accusations (Von Drehle). When officers started wearing body cameras, the amount of complaints filed by citizens decreased over 87% and the use of force incidents by 59% (Rutkin). Further studies also support this claim with Mike Jones, a highway manager in Denbighshire, UK, stating, “When somebody started to become aggressive, as soon as they were told that they were being filmed or they saw the camera, it did result in a change of behavior. It’s an added layer of security.” Police chiefs from all over support this technology in the fact that both citizens and officers behave more civilized while being under surveillance. The evidence gathered by the cameras act as a barrier between the citizen’s words and the truth. Sheriffs have reported that video evidence does in fact often support the officer’s side, but has, in some events led, to the termination of an officer (Pearce

Barak, A., Farrar, W. A., & Sutherland, A. (2015, September). The Effect of Police Body-Worn Cameras on Use of Force and Citizens’ Complaints Against the Police: A Randomized Controlled Trial. 31(3), 509-535. Retrieved August 30, 2016, from http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10940-014-9236-3

Cameras have the potential to be a win-win, helping protect the public against police misconduct, and at the same time helping protect police against false accusations of abuse.

This past May (2015), due to recent tense police-community relations, the Obama administration initiated a government program to evaluate the effectiveness of having the police force wear body cameras. The very public incidents that have occurred ignited accusations of police brutality and as a result, the call for police body cameras is one government action in response to these accusations. The theory being that all people, even those in official capacities, behave differently when they know they are being watched. The importance of deploying police body cameras is significant for society and for the police force as it is viewed as a means towards re-establishing a trusted police-community relationship. My conviction is for the public to regain confidence in our police force that provide for our safety and protection. The undisputed objective is for efficient execution of criminal laws and the administration of criminal justice. This paper will examine initial data reported from studies conducted that support the claims that police body cameras have the potential to reduce the following: public complaints against police, police use of force, and reduction of prosecutions, as physical evidence is lacking to support the crime proposed as committed. If these statistics hold true, it may be possible to re-establish a trust with the police, and the public can look to the police for their safety and protection.

One of the newest technological topics that is being discussed is that of the office Body Worn Camera (BWC). This device is worn on the body and records the interactions between police and the citizenry. This increases both officer and citizen accountability. BWC’s have already been in use by law enforcement, as a pilot program, since 2012. The cities of Mesa, Arizona, Rialto, California, and Phoenix, Arizona, have piloted programs and conducted studies on their effectiveness. There is not much of empirical studies on the impact of BWCs. The City of Rialto, California conducted a randomized study in 2013, and found that the use of BWCs reduced citizens’ complaints and use of force by 59% and 87.5% (Farrar & Ariel, 2014). This was one

Ariel, B., Farrar, W., & Sutherland, A. (2015). The Effect of Police Body-Worn Cameras on Use of Force and Citizens' Complaints Against the Police: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Quantitative Criminology, 31(3), 509-535.

I am sure that we all seen an episode of Cops, a well-known television show, that depicts actual officers from across the United States, involved in different calls from routine traffic stops to high speed car chases and everything in between. Cops are faced with abuse, being cussed out, threatened, having to use force for people to just comply with simple instructions. The use of body cameras could help with people being more compliant, just because they know they are being watched. Criminologist Dr. Michael D. White, who is also a professor at Arizona State University, and the author of the U.S. Department of Justice report, stated “It’s human nature: People generally behave better when they know someone is