Police Misconduct Should Wear Body Mounted 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

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.

Historically speaking, authorities of the law were never in a position where their professional duties and their character as a public servant of the law were demeaned in a way that there needs to be constant surveillance of them and the people whom they come into contact with. There was never a need of documenting every encounter you had with a civilian before. In this day in age, things have certainly changed, and the past has always been something society likes to change and make better even if it raises concerns. Due to all the violent police stories that has surfaced in the past decade, the idea of having police officers wear video cameras as a part of their uniform while on duty has resulted in a radically divergent account of society’s future. The law may uphold cops to wear cameras while working, but is this really the best decision? This topic is very controversial and may create issues with cops and the civilians they try and protect in the future.

a) In a 2012 study, it was found that officers that were required to wear cameras while on the job were more cautious and their use of excessive force fell by 60 percent, while public complaints dropped by 88 percent. (Rory Carroll, 2013)

Does the body camera decline police brutality? Are body cameras more effective in urban or rural areas? Could these cameras decline corruption in policing? These are a few of countless questions that might be brought up about this newly relevant issue. Without even undertaking exploration on this subject you could question a sample of individuals these burning questions. I think that they would agree that it is a necessary evil when dealing with criminals. It’s logical to assume that your every move is being documented and you are theoretically always being “watched”, in saying that one will in turn do their career to the best of their capabilities. Its elementary science that the independent variable being the camera. The dependent variable is the logged evidence which is

“We’re not anti-police, we’re anti-police brutality,” said Al Sharpton. It has to be understood that people fighting for justice are not against the police, they are against police brutality. Many cases that involve police using excessive force on civilians are occurring. There is not evidence being recorded because either officers do not have their body cameras or they are not turning them on. Innocent police officers and also innocent civilians are being charged guilty without proof of what actually happened in the encounter. Some officers are using their authority to pin everything on the civilian by using fake eyewitnesses and testimonies. Because of this, the public is having a hard time trusting authorities. It should be mandatory for police officers to have body cameras because it eliminates chances of them using excessive force, clears the confusion, and helps gain the public’s trust in them.

The topic of police wearing body cameras has been heavily debated over recently, but the major spike in discussion occurred approximately a year ago, with the fatal shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed African-American eighteen year old in Ferguson, Missouri. There have been other shootings this past year, and many people have become outraged with the way police abuse their power and use excessive force, and now all those protesters want one thing: for all police to wear body cameras. I for one agree with them, it should be mandatory that police wear body cameras while on duty.

Police officers should wear body cameras at all times on duty because it creates more evidence. Body cameras document everything from witnesses,victims,and suspects. “Perceived benefits that body-worn cameras offer—capturing a video recording of critical incidents and encounters with the public, strengthening police accountability, and providing a valuable new type of evidence—largely outweigh the potential drawbacks. (Ziv). This supports the argument because body cameras will be able to record any incidents and report them with the public. This quote support my big argument because only the officers and the victims knows what going on in a situation. This quote supports the position because now there will be clear evidence in certain

The need for police officers to be equipped with body cameras while on duty is crucial in rebuilding community relations and increasing police accountability. As such, there are various benefits and consequences in the implementation of this proposed policy for all police departments. While benefits include lowering rates of police misconduct, increased accountability and transparency, improved officer training, providing effective evidence for trials and reduction of civilian complaints, there are consequences such as the upfront cost of police cameras, legal and privacy concerns and reliability of body camera footage. The adoption of police body cameras has both positive and negative merits

Police officers are the protectors of our communities. They are meant to keep us safe and out of harm's way. However, some officers can be corrupt. These officers use force as a go to method rather than a last resort. Because police brutality is such an issue, the question of "should officers be required to wear body cameras" has arose. I strongly agree that police officers should be required to wear body cams because it will help keep police under control.

Polices wearing body cameras is very important for society today, not just for the United States but also a cross the world. Today all the new covered about law enforcement is just negatively and it comes with video showing police officers interacting with citizens. (Lina Park personal interview), said that she visited Vietnam and China in 2014, while on her car traveling from city to city’s, her vehicle was stopped by the police in both countries. They noticed her as a visitor and a citizen of the United States; and they assumed that she would have some money and would probably slip some cash under her car registration. They kept her there for about an hour or so, making issues with her driver license, saying that she is not allow to drive with United State license in their countries, she knew something was up. Park and her friends had their smartphones out, recording the conversations between the officers and themselves. She said that his mood changed after she had the camera on, and the officers let them go nicely and did not make any more problems. This isn’t just happens in some foreign country, it also is happening in the United States. (Journalist’s resource Pra 5) from Justin and Jacob Young of Arizona State University had shown officer worn body cameras making less arrests then officer who did not wear cameras, “Officer assigned to wear cameras issued 23.1% more citations for ordinance violations than those who did not

Due to the new age of technology, there is questions as to what the advantages and disadvantages are regarding police officers being equipped with body cameras. These devices seem to be a day-to-day piece of gear within some police divisions throughout the United States. There is still much debate as if cameras should be included as a gear that officers should include as a part of

Every police officer in the United States should wear body cameras in order to improve trust and rebuild relationships between citizens and law enforcement officers. Studies done across the country have shown a significant decrease in not only citizen complaints brought against the law enforcement but also a decline in incidents where police were involved in forceful activity or brutality. Body cameras will protect cops from false accusations while also protecting citizens from police brutality. In order for law enforcement to be effective there must to be complete trust between citizens and policemen. Officers cannot do their jobs well if their actions are continually second-guessed or incorrectly relayed to media by bystanders later. Implementing body cameras across the country will allow for the transparency of law enforcement actions and the safety of citizens they interact with.

For years, there has been widespread debate whether our police force should use cameras to record their action. This began in the mid-1990, when police began using dash cameras in the squad cars. Though this idea was met with opposition, this camera is standard in all modern police cars. In Rialto California, all police officers began wearing body mounted cameras on the lapels of their shirts. Over the course of a year, the use of force by police dropped 60%, and complaints from citizens to the police force, dropped 88% (Mims.WallStreetJournal). Though, as with every topic, there are people who oppose the idea due to issues such as privacy for cops and civilians, the cost of the cameras and officer safety. Though these concerns a valid, with work and effort, they are fixable. Nothing is more important than having citizens that know they can hold their police force accountable, and have transparency within the fore.