Police Body Worn Cameras: Annotated Bibliography

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.

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

To peep or not to peep, that is the question being asked by many regarding police body cameras in communities. The topic of police brutality is a rising issue in today’s society. Several questions have arose over the use of police body cameras and whether they are a good or bad idea. Police body cameras have has a variety of concern to many communities regarding their potential. Every city has a different trust and relationship for their police force and these concerns vary depending on the community. People have the concern regarding privacy, protection, and impact on the community and more. After researching the problems caused by Police body cameras as well as its background, the current state of the issue, and the potential solutions, it is clear that communities need to bring a solution to this situation.Such as laws, policies, rules, and more to control this new information.

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.

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 today’s world, body cameras are being worn by more than half of the police officers in the United States. Many people will say that body cameras are invading their privacy and they will cause bigger issues, but others will say that the body cameras are an improvement and will help everyone out in the long run by resolving the issues. Body cameras will prevent incidents of police brutality and improve law enforcement. They should be worn for the police officer’s safety as well as the citizens who are interacting with the police, so that way the footage will show what really happened in a situation.

Stories of presumed police misconduct have been surfacing in America in the last couple of years, sparking many debates and speculations on the true causes of these situations. Many blame the officers in these encounters, forcing them to face repercussions for crimes they did not commit. Alternatively, in some situations, the officer is guilty, but public outcries in favor of the police protect them from any consequences. Regardless of the situation, there is a great bias concerning law enforcement in this country. Recently, people have begun advocating for body cameras on police officers to provide the public with accurate records of all police encounters so that no false claims could be made against the officers. Body cameras on policemen should be necessary for the safety and comfort of our citizens, as well as for our officers, for regaining the public’s trust, and for maintaining an honest law enforcement system.

Recently, authorized law enforcement agencies and police departments are increasingly adopting the use of body worn cameras (BWC) also called as body cams or cop cams. These cop cams serve as a powerful tool to document evidences, prevent misconduct and false acquisitions of abuse by public against police officers as well as a check on abuse of power by law enforcement officers or police officers thus aid in promoting the accountability, transparency in public interactions resulting in good behavior of the community. Despite of the above stated benefits associated with the use of body worn cameras, several questions and concerns are raising

There is a changing climate in Law Enforcement that is heavily impacting police departments across the country. Many police departments presently have a combat decision that affects an already limited budget which is the implementation of a police officer wearing a body camera. Though this change is seemingly inevitable, it can be an investment that alleviates the department and police officer from allegations of misconduct. Furthermore, body cameras can prove to be an invaluable tool for officers and investigators while helping the department become more transparent and accountable to its citizens.

This study will contribute to the literature by providing one of the first studies ever to examine officer attitudes toward body-worn cameras by gauging the impressions of officers in an agency before body-worn cameras were placed in the field and prior to high profile incidents such as what occurred in Ferguson, Missouri.

As we stare at society today we all know what changes have been made, what challenges we have been facing as well as what’s to come in our near future. Some may be blind to what’s really going on while others are just heartless to any situation. In recent news channels and articles the main topics are on police/citizen interaction. These interactions have been going on for many years but now that society has changed and people are finding their voices its coming to light. From cries of excessive police use of force, racial profiling, and repeated reports of police misconduct, there has to be a way to improve the relationship. Now with the new body worn cameras being imputed, this should

A current topic of debate in the field crime enforcement is the use of officer mounted body cams. There are multiple arguments for and against the implementation of this type of technology which makes the authorization for use a tough decision for officials. Proponents of the use of bodycams argue that if both the officer and suspects know that their actions are being recorded, then they will control their behavior as to not incriminate themselves. On the other side, opponents argue that police officers may be hesitant to take the necessary steps in some cases for fear of being reprimanded for their actions.

Researches from the University of Cambridge’s institute of Criminology conducted a study in 2014 on the effects of body cameras on cops. The study showed that once a small town in California had the technology introduced the altercations with involving officers decreased drastically. University of Cambridge officials gave an opinionated statement saying, “knowledge that events are being recorder creates a ‘self-awareness’ in all participants during police interactions.” In article by the USA Today a notable statistic shows that in Rialto, California, there was a 60% reduction in use-of-force altercations

⇒In addition to better behavior, body cameras are useful in the protection from false accusations. Like they say an image is worth more than a thousand words. Videos that collected from an officer’s body camera is able to prove an unbiased visual record. Many groups exist that are made of people who views are “anti-police” may try to bring thoughtless lawsuits against an officer that she or he have been enmeshed with. That is when the footage can actual show what occurred in that event which if the officer does not violent any citizen’s rights the case would be dismissed and not cost as much for the police

One reason law enforcement agents should wear body cameras is to hold the officer accountable. Holding the officer accountable, will ensure the officer adheres to policies and procedures during an encounter with victims and suspects. Body-worn cameras are poised to help boost accountability for law enforcement and citizens. And unlike many new police technologies, the cameras share preliminary support from both law enforcement and social justice groups. The cameras may be particularly beneficial for Black and Latino men, who are likelier to shoulder the harms of any police