Essay On Body Cameras

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 social media and the public might want police body cam footage release but sometimes it might be to graphic or controversial. Police body cameras have been a topic since the incident with Michael Brown in august of 2014. Police shot and killed an unarmed individual in ferguson, MO, leading to many people wanting cameras on police. Whether the cameras are a good idea or not this paper will explore the facts and sides of police body cameras. Overall body cameras should be required Because they can save the lives of the innocent, keep innocent people from going to jail, and can help a case as more evidence.

Body cameras are proven to make policemen act better while they’re are on duty. “Police officers "tend to behave a little better"(Kon, Body Cameras for Police Officers). if they know their behavior is being recorded on camera” stated author Tsin Yen Kon. Police will act better cause they know they are being “watched”. Just like when a student has a parent to sit in their class, they act very well, police do the same. Police will also act right, because they don’t want to lose their jobs or get fired because some careless mistake that they made while on camera. “When police officers are acutely aware that their behavior is being monitored (because they turn on the cameras), and when officers tell citizens that the cameras are recording their behavior, everyone behaves better” (Knickerbocker). Brad Knickerbocker, the author, explains how both sides of the camera, police, and criminal will have an effect on their behavior because they know that they are being watched, and recorded. When people know they are being watched, it is like they get scared, because they don't want anything to be used against them. Although cameras will make police act better, people will still think that police brutality will still happen.

A fairly common recommendation for reducing police misconduct to increase use of body cameras. By recording police-citizen encounters, police supervisors, judges, reporters, and others can get objective evidence of what happened instead of self serving hearsay. Body cameras have been the talk of many police departments among the United States. But not everyone has tried it out or used it yet, as we can see. Body cameras should be used because citizens are being innocently killed by police, officers are being falsely accused of wrongdoing, and it allows for physical proof of evidence.

Not having body cameras in the line of duty is becoming an issue, legally and ethically, for both officers and citizens. Body cameras show the objective perspective of police in the field, and show everything that occurred, whether it reflects positively or negatively on the officer. There is not much evidence yet on the effect body cameras have. However, one study that was done shows positive feedback from the use of body cameras. In Rialto, California, a study was conducted and showed that use of force by police officers and complaints by citizens were dramatically decreased after they began to use

I think body cameras on police officers are worth the expense. Abby Phillips from the Washington Post says “At the 1 year memorial for Michael Brown,Tyrone Harris was supposedly armed with a 9mm Sig Sauer that was reported stolen last year so the cops opened fire on him and he is now in critical condition. His family and friends denied that he was armed.” (Phillips 1) We should have body cameras on police officers because it would show evidence of what actually happened at this crime scene and many others that are still being questioned. The cameras would basically show if there is any foul play from the cop and or if it was the actual suspects fault. Having the camera’s would end all of the questioning in police cases

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

In today’s society no one is safe from everyday peril. Situations arise daily that may present either a law enforcement official or just a civilian with a situation that could warrant the need for extra protection. In some cases it is a matter of he said she said. In just those instances it is important that there be some sort of documentation that provides corresponding evidence. 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 an extra peace of mind but give the civilians documentation to back up their sides of the story.

This issue needs to be attended to now because this problem is growing across the U.S. and no justice is being served for most excessive force cases due to the lack of evidence and the rights that police officers have. This issue needs to be addressed because it is starting to cause problems within the communities and for the police. Officers gets bashed on due to the view everybody have on them, and this is affecting the fair officers as well. They don’t get looked upon as friendly anymore, but enemies which causes citizens to retaliate. The communities are not at rest with police officers and riots have broken out due to unsolved excessive force cases and there are a large amount of people protesting for justice to be served.

Body cameras alone will not solve the issues that have arrived over the history of policing, but they are a really good way to start showing the law enforcement departments want to start holding their officers accountable for their actions. With the right policies in place, body cameras can be an important tool for accountability and can have great evidentiary value. Law enforcement and civilian interactions will no longer be a matter of the accused’s word against that of the law enforcement officers. Since human beings change their behavior when they are under observation. The most noticeable benefit from wearing body cameras is that law enforcement officer will be holding themselves more accountable.

There are stats that show police misconduct is reduced when the officers are wearing body mounted cameras. On CATO Institute 's webpage of National Police Misconduct Reporting Project, they show stats of an experiment that was conducted in Rialto, California over a year long period. Over this year, officers were randomly assigned to wear these body cameras. The stats that were taken show that the number of times these officers used unneeded force dropped by a considerable amount compared to previous years when these officers were not wearing these cameras. Since these stats show that police misconduct dropped when officers were wearing the body mounted cameras, it shows that police officers behaved better

Body Cams In America, police brutality has been a subject that has been a hot topic of discussion for some time now. Many people have strong opinions on what they believe is best for the citizens and for law enforcement. A big question for many is, “how can we find a solution to this ongoing problem?”

Are you confident that the body camera is keeping both sides honest? Cameras can only show what the camera holder wants us to see. However, on some levels, I think the cameras on the officers can become beneficial because as the public a little more can become seen than just hearing the cops word. William, I worry about the body cameras, when activated because " the cameras can also capture moments after a stressful incident where statements by the officers and the public can be taken out of context and used against the person making the statements." The cameras becoming used as away to cause harm or used out of context is why I am very undecided whether the cameras are the best idea. I am glad that I am not the only one that thought

Law enforcement was created to protect the people and not to bring harm or danger to them as in recent cases like the shooting of Michael Brown an 18 year old young man, by police back in August 2014, as well as the consequential protests that it caused in Ferguson, Missouri and around the entire country. There is a serious and painful cause to mandate the use of body cameras worn by law enforcement everywhere to bring some sort of transparency when it comes to police-civilian interactions. These body cameras have received very positive evaluations from groups like the NAACP Legal Defense & Education Fund, as well as the (ACLU) , a civil liberties group . These groups applaud the use of the body worn cameras and feels that the more popular