Police And Body Cameras A Need

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.

Law enforcement has faced a lot of criticism regarding the relationship between the people with the inner communities. The change in law enforcement is now taking place in most departments across the country. In the next ten years the criminal justice system with implement body cameras for every officer. These cameras will change the face of law enforcement. First it will protect the officer from malicious prosecution for miss use of force. For example, the Michael Brown case in Ferguson Missouri involved a police shooting of an unarmed black male. In this case the officer use of deadly force was called into question, because some witnesses believed that the shooting was unlawful. Due to the lack of supportive evidence, it created an uproar

Moreover, to stop the crime and police brutality, body cameras would not be a bad idea if they were to be taken a step forward. Nancy La Vigne writer of “Body Cameras for Police Could Be One Smart Step” talks about supervisors monitoring the cameras in case an altercation were to happen (6). Nancy also talks about body cameras invading constitutional rights of the citizens. Vigne writes, “Body cameras will capture not just an officers actions, but also those of the citizens with whom they interact – or even individuals walking by or in the background” (Vigne). Nancy’s point is that with the body cameras and civilians being recorded, should the citizens know they are being recorded. Another solution for the body cameras to be able to work would be for the cops to have no access to the cameras.

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.

This article describes how the increase of body cameras will help reduce police misconduct by recording police-citizen encounters, and serving as evidence of what happened. This article also talks about the complications that it contains. One of the complications are the privacy concerns, many people say they don't want their police encounters to be all over social media. It also says that body cameras are not the only thing that will make officers behave, it says they also need reforms of use-of-force policy and training. Even though there are many privacy concerns experts have said that those concerns can be resolved with the right policies. This is a great article to use because it appeals to

The dispute of police body cameras truly hit the media hard this week. Blasting from the headlines all citizens were aware that Michael Brown was lethally shot in Ferguson, Missouri. This prompted officers to become fortified with body cameras. This technologically progressive world that we live in today has shaped a world of tweeting, posting and uploading. It’s about time that police departments take advantage of the tools accessible to them, especially with the advancement of equipment. The move forward in technology will help to alleviate speculation on any misconduct perpetrated. There now will be hard honest evidence of any crime committed against a police officer.

For years and years, there have been many cases that police officers use unnecessary force on citizens. Citizens have reported the incidents, taken the incidents to court, and as well as people starting protests because of this. Instead of people feeling safe that the police is around people fear them. There has been a solution that involves police officers now having to be required wear body cameras. The use of body cameras on officers will reduce the use of force and will reduce dishonesty on incident reports; however, officers should not wear body cameras as it is an invasion of their privacy.

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.

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.

Due to recent technological advances, many social justice issues have been brought to light. One issue is police brutality involving minorities. Police brutality is a major problem in our society, but it is a problem that we can fix. In order for any problem to be fixed, the problem must be acknowledged, then whoever has the problem must work for change. In order to fix the problem of police brutality, we must bring light to the issue by utilizing social media, then push for a change is the police force. One significant change the police force could make is the implementation of body cameras. They can offer video evidence in the case of opposing accounts of an incident, they dissuade police brutality, and videos released from police cameras

In todays society, American citizens are unpleased with the law enforcement officers. These officers are here protecting the people of America, and to get the people doing the wrong things off the street so the rest of the people can be safe. In the past few months, there have been shootings of American citizens, and shootings of law enforcement officers. The people of society are only seeing the bad side of police officers, and never understand the whole story when needed to be heard. As the internet continues to expand, the promises it makes is beyond human understanding (Carr 56). The internet and television are the most complex form of technology, and only portray the bad side of cops. “The idea of multimedia is to combine text, sound, and pictures in a single package that you browse on screen” (Gelernter 97). The idea of body cameras put in the uniforms of the law enforcement officers has been talked about, so that everyone can see the exact truth of the situation. The idea of body cameras for the law enforcement officers has it benefits and drawbacks. I think having the body cameras will greatly benefit the law enforcement officers in society today and in the future.

For the past several years the push for police to wear body cameras has greatly increased. Body cameras are small video and audio recorders that can be worn by police officers to capture all encounters the officers have with citizens. Large cities and counties across the nation have been testing body cameras among several police departments to see if they can actually improve the way police and citizens interact with one another. Over the course of the past several years evidence has shown that the tests seem to be rather successful. Evidence has proved that in many cases the body cameras have made a significant impact on how some police officers deal with certain situations and behave toward citizens. Even the citizens who know they are being recorded have either changed the way they interact with the police or will not make false accusations or false complaints toward officers. In Rialto, California in 2012, the test of body cameras showed a decrease in officers using force and complaints of police brutality (BloombergView). When officers are aware that they are on camera they tend to follow the rules more. The same can be said about citizens, when the officers tell them they are being recorded, they change their behavior and sometimes begin to act more rational. Currently, the relationship between the police and citizens is rough. Citizens have trust issues with many officers, and officers are now scared that they may become targets of police hatred. Hopefully, with the

With all the recent police brutality reports, some people are afraid of cops. People shouldn't be afraid of them, they’re here to protect us. But recently it's starting to feel less like that and more like they are trying to hurt us. We’ve all heard stories and seen the videos of police brutality. The reports we hear about the arrests don't match up, the cops say he was being combative and the onlookers are saying he was being submissive, so we don't know who to trust, which illustrates the importance of body cameras.

“Body Worn Cameras are spreading worldwide, under the assumption that police performance, conduct, accountability, and legitimacy, in the eyes of the public, are enhanced as a result of using these devices. Also, suspects' demeanor during police-public engagements is hypothesized to change as a consequence of the video-recording of the encounter” (Ariel, 2016, para.1). Research has shown that body-worn cameras by law enforcement officers dramatically reduces both civilian complaints against officers and the use of force by officers. Since the beginning of using the body-worn cameras by law enforcement officers, behavior has improved, and de-escalation on both sides of the cameras that happen during the interactions with the public has decreased. The body-worn cameras provide members of the public, the media, and researchers with vital information about the quality of police-public interactions; especially the relatively small, but critical, minority that involves officer use of force. (Kiernan, 2016) "These videos will not resolve all debates about the propriety of the officer's behaviors they portray, but the information they do reveal can advance empirically grounded policing reform."(Kiernan, 2016, para. 6)

In today’s society we see more and more advancement of technology. Anything and everything that we want or need can be accessed just by the touch of a button. Law enforcement has stepped up to plate with implementing the use of dashboard cameras as well as body cameras as means to provide clarity to traffic stops and criminal acts. Within the past few years there has been a rising amount of claims of police brutality which in turn have led to many riots in different states across the United States. There has also been a significant amount of crimes committed against law enforcement as well. “In a profession where it often comes down to two very different versions of the same event, dash cams have proven a useful tool. In some ways, a law enforcement officer who can serve an entire career without facing some sort of civil liability is an anomaly. More and more, patrol men and women are finding themselves the target of disgruntled citizens. This usually results in complaints to the agency and/or a lawsuit.” (Nash & Scarberry, 2014)