Police Body Cameras Essay

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

The DOJ report mentioned that there appeared to be soot around the wound on the right hand which is “evidence of close range discharge of a firearm” (p. 9). The report listed eight gunshot wounds on Brown’s body. The DOJ concluded that six of the eight bullets that impacted Brown’s body entered through the front. The two bullets that were determined not to have entered through the front were the ones that struck the right arm and right forearm. The bullet to the right arm was concluded to have an “indeterminate trajectory” and the bullet to the right forearm entered through the back (p. 9). All but one of the gunshot wounds were found to be inflicted from a distance. The bullet that entered through the back of the forearm can be explained by Brown swinging his arm in the act of running towards Officer Wilson. This evidence supports Wilson’s statement that he fired at Brown not at close range, but while he was charging at him from a distance. It further shows that it was impossible that Michael Brown was shot in the back as some had previously

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

and striving to make them right.  As time has developed, the issues of old have passed, but now,

The department would like to address the city council to take into recommendation of the new policy change of the body worn cameras by the police officers of this city. The city of Tampa already has a policy on body worn cameras. Body worn cameras can be highly effective in evidence gathering, prosecution of crimes, protecting officers from accusations and showing police officer activity. At this point in time body worn cameras are only given out to officers when they are available. The reason for the department to initiate the changes of the body worn cameras policy is to better the police officers of this department and the community members.

Video Footage has the potential to expose officer misconduct and exonerate civilians whose actions have been falsely accused by officers. In the case of John Crawford III, going into his local Walmart, just wanting to spend quality time with his family roasting s’mores. Officers had over 200 video cameras showing he wasn’t doing anything wrong, but they refused to look at them. Even though he had an unloaded pellet gun that he picked up off the shelf. Why shoot, instead of tasering him. (Harvard Law Review N.A., 2015). Even with some witnesses around that still didn’t stop New York Police officers from using excessive force on Eric Garner. His death was recorded, and the officers were indicted. There are many cases where officers are accused of excessive force such as PEOPLE vs ATKINSON. In cases such as this, there are officers stating force was necessary and defendants saying that unnecessary force had been used. The use of cameras helps to determine without prejudice and protect all

"Obama calls for police body cameras in wake of Ferguson" On December 1st through the 2nd of 2014 these were the words included in two prominent news programs including CNN and NBC. This headline along with the stories that they carried insinuated that the president's decision to implement funding for body worn cameras came from the situation of Ferguson. Ferguson is the case of an 18 year old African American male by the name of Michael Brown on August 9, 2014 Michael Brown was shot and killed by a white police officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson Missouri. The shooting and killing of Michael Brown prompted protest for many weeks due to the fact that he was unarmed and had been shot six times by the police officer. This incident raised questions by the public as to why young Michael Brown was shot six

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.

A shot rings out in the night and soon after, there is a body in the streets. Within days there are multiple eye witnesses on the news, protests in the streets and silence from official sources. This has become an all too common occurrence today in regards to police where the public outcry after deadly force incident can go out of control before officials have had a chance to review the facts. Nearly 1,000 people were killed by police in 2016, with 2017 on pace to top that (Washington Post). One of the most publicly sought after improvements, as there are few answers, to his situation is the mandatory use of body cameras by law enforcement officials. In theory, body cameras would preserve a public record of at least

According to the article “Why police should wear body cameras” by Michelle. M chief, William A. Farrar said to the New York Times “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” (MAR, 2014). In other words, the camera will minimize the amount of complaints about officers that use unnecessary force or inappropriate behavior from both sides, the officer and the citizen. If anything happens, the camera will have everything recorded on tape. Americans say most police officers don't do a good job and they routinely lie to serve their own interests.

Citizens embellishing their stories, police officers abusing their power, and having footage to interpret evidence better are a few reasons why we need body cameras for our officers. There have been cases in the past that should have been resolved with body cameras; as blatant as that sounds, body cameras can spark controversy through the public with cases like the shooting of Michael Brown. Michael Brown was a black man who lived in the town of Ferguson, Missouri. Unfortunately his life was ended at 18 years old by Darren Wilson who was a former police officer. Wilson stepped down from his position as a police officer because of the shooting.

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

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

Much interest in the technology of the body cameras comes from a growing problem that the United States has been having a major problem with police violence. Though some might argue that the wearing of body cameras violate privacy, in fact the use of the cameras will minimize violence, show accountability, and a human side of policing. These body cameras would help serve by providing video evidence that can be referenced and use anytime allegations are made against police officers and criminals alike. The use of these body cameras are somewhat in the evaluation and study stages, but they are quickly becoming the standard in some police departments across the United States. These cameras would not only serve to provide video evidence, but it provide accountability. The ideal policy for the cams is that they stay on and continue recording throughout police officers shifts, which would help eliminate any possibility of doing something that would not be used as evidence later on and help them evade the recording of abuse committed while on duty.

This quotation means to me that they are scared of responsibility. In the quotation from Timo Cruz, he says, “Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure… Your playing small does not serve the world.” There is a saying which goes, “With great power comes great responsibility.” They are not scared of the power they have, but of the responsibilities and expectations that come with possessing power. The amount of work they put in currently will not be good enough while they are in possession of such great power. They are scared of not being able to meet those expectations so they play it safe. They do not allow themselves to go above and beyond what is expected of them. They let themselves and others believe the only thing they are