There is an argument that police officers are getting out of hand with handling arrest. The most recent solution to the problem is having every policeman have a body camera, in order to make the police officer feel as if their every movement is being watched. Recently, there has been discussion if police officers using body cameras is a Liberty Issues and that it gives the police force way too much unchecked power. Some citizens believe that body cameras leads into privacy issues (4th Amendment), violation of civil rights (1st Amendment), and may give too much power to the government (Limited Government via James Madison).
Body cameras come in all shapes and sizes. There are many commercial businesses in the United States that already use body cameras for private industry work. According to Jay Stanley a body camera are, “small, pager-sized cameras that clip on to an officer’s uniform or sunglasses or are worn as a headset, and record audio and video of the officer’s interactions with the public” (Stanley).
There are a lot of pro and cons when looking at body cameras through a Privacy Issue lens. According to the study of PhD Barak Ariel, a professor at Hebrew University’s Institute of Criminology, “If body worn cameras become common practice, it means more electronic surveillance, more digitized tagging of individuals, and more challenges to privacy rights” (Ariel). For most privacy issues, the 4th Amendment seems to outline to most basic principles to privacy
This is an important debate to many people, because it can change crime rates and rate of police brutality dramatically. If a police officer is wearing a body camera it could save their life because the offender will know they are being watched and probably won’t try to attack the officer. As with any positives, there are negatives, like the expence of the cameras per officer as large. Also, don 't forget that they are an invasion of privacy.
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.
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
In today 's society, one highly debatable topic is whether or not law enforcement agents should wear body cameras. Most cameras used by law enforcement agencies across the country record audio and video, therefore, the cameras see and hear nearly everything a law enforcement officer does. There are many advantages to law enforcement personnel using body cameras while on duty because it holds the officers accountable, is used to document the contact made between the officers and the victims and/or suspects, supports the “use of force” action, keeps the officers and citizens honest, and the videos can even be used for training for other officers.
The History of the body camera is a relatively new idea only brought to mass populations in the past few years, and already it has been a massive topic of debate. The United Kingdom first introduced police body cameras in 2005. This was done in an effort to reduce police brutality as well as public concerns. Early research on the cameras has said to have a positive effect and was well received by the public. According to The Huffington Post “The conversation around adopting body cameras has always been complicated.”(Wing, 2017) Some of the complications is how it has caused a great divide among
There has been a lot of talk lately in the news about police body cameras. Some people agree that body cameras should be used by all police officers, while others disagree and believe that they shouldn’t be used at all. There are some cons to having body cameras but all of the pros outweigh it. Police body cameras should be used in all towns no matter how small because the people will act less aggressive towards officers, they provide truthful evidence that cannot be altered with, and the videos can be stored so if something were to happen, they could be brought up and checked as sort of like a surveillance device.
Across the country a growing number of legislative departments have been debating about the pros and cons of police body cameras. This paper will further explore benefits, as well as the downfalls of using such devices. This paper will also look at specific cases and examine whether or not body cameras were helpful in various situations. It will examine if they were a deterrent in cases dealing with police brutality and domestic violence. It also looks at how they could be misused and assisting some officers in covering up their corrupt behavior.
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
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.
Due to devastating events that have taken place between the police and civilians in 2015, law enforcements are finding it liable for policeman to be suited with body cameras. They believe doing so will begin to hold policeman more accountable for their actions, reduce police brutality and crime, as well as shedding light on the good cops still out here.
As a further result of the strained relationship between law enforcement and the general population debate about the potential use of police worn body camera’s erupted not only in the United States but across the globe including
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
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
A body camera are a useful thing, well not for cops because it can give more depth into what cops do in according to the SIRS DATABASE in Ferguson,Missouri in 2014 a black unarmed teen was shot to death by a cop but instead of them indict him they made him where a body cam. All across the community and the country body cams where given to polices officers $263 million in funding went in to this to proved fore these body cam's. The people that voted fore theses body came's say that it will reduce the use of force by police and lessen the number of complaints agent them. People say body cam's will be a good thing because cops cant tamper withe the evidence because the body cam will have it on video so cops cant say that the person the arrested for something they did not do that is-int true. The body cam will have it on video. Body came's will help improve the community and the un-orthodontics ways of cops. Body cam videos will bring a hole new light to thing in the court room because there will be actual proof of lets say a cop beating an unarmed person there body cam video will keep the right people out of jail and leave some cops without a job.
Body cameras “can serve to check against the abuse of power by police” (Stanley, “Police Body-Mounted Cameras: With Right Policies in Place, A Win for All”). Also, like previously stated, people are less likely to behave bad if being watched or recorded (Mims). Studies show that “body cameras can help de-escalate tense situations and make both officers and civilians behave better” (Majerol, “Should Police Wear Body Cameras?”). Although other issues like maintaining privacy and making sure officers can’t manipulate recordings need to be balanced, the benefits should outweigh the