Police Officers And Body Cams

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.

Police officers should have to be required to wear body cameras to ensure the safety of the citizens and to provide evidence for a court case. Many times the police have gotten away with too many things and commit crimes that go unnoticed It’s time we put a stop to that and we make a change. With the use of body cameras that police force would be more trustworthy, they wouldn’t commit crimes, and they would be able to supply the court with undisputable evidence.

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.

Today, law enforcement agencies, or more specifically police officers, are under constant scrutiny from their peers as well as outside sources. Many of these problems arise from how the police treat and deal with these citizens. There is however a solution to these problems, which can not only improve officer safety, but can also protect anyone else that the officer encounters. The solution to this problem is officer mounted camera systems, or better known as body cameras. These body cameras capture almost everything an officer see’s as well as hears. This allows for protection against a police officer as well as protection for a citizen who was scrutinized for something he or she might have done or not. Body cameras are ever increasing in policing and have many benefit’s as well as draw backs.

There have been various situations in which police officers have been falsely accused. Obviously not all police officers are committing misconduct, so the ones that are not would have nothing to hide while wearing a body camera. The purpose of these body cameras are to find out the the truth of what occurs during a one on one encounter with an officer and a citizen. These body cameras would force officers and citizens to be on their best behaviors because now they know they are being recorded and that tape can and will be used against them.

Body cameras on police officers in this day and age should be required for all departments. Body cameras should be worn to not only protect the officers but also the civilians that come into contact with police officers. It can give valuable information on what happened during an interaction between the public and law enforcement. This can protect the citizens from abuse by the police, as well as give necessary information into officer related shootings. All states should require their branches of law enforcement to require body cameras while on duty.

“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.

Even though body cameras are a good source of evidence: “... Ariel cautions that one innovation, no matter how positive, is unlikely to provide a panacea for a deeply rooted issue such as police legitimacy” (Use of 2). Body worn cameras do bring up the issue of police legitimacy because police can still tamper the footage or say the camera was not recording. Also with every positive impact of body worn cameras there are bad impacts as well. Most officers are required to wear their body camera’s at all times, however the article “Police Cameras” explains how: “In some cases, officers have turned off the devices, and events have not been recorded” (Police Cameras 2). Officers should not have the option to wear body worn cameras.

The crime rate and police brutality rate has increased in America in the recent years. A new law is flooding controversy across all 50 states. Should a police officer wear a body camera while on active duty? While many may argue that it is against privacy, I believe that wearing such cameras will lessen such police brutality claims, ensure truth in court scenarios, and protect both the officer and the civilian.

Body camera for police officers might be expensive but what is money to the deaths of innocent lives along with clearing misunderstandings for future citizens who waste their times and lives in jail for something they didn’t do and was falsely accused of doing. Having body camera for officers would improve many things drastically such as accountability, transparency, improve social image, and provide evidence of decisions made by officers in intense situations. Some might say that having police officers wearing body camera might invade their privacy but in reality the things they do behind the scene are the source of problem; if they wore body cameras then it would increase accountability, prevent violence, and improve the public views towards

Police should be required to wear body cams because sometimes or often the police and/or the suspect would lie about the crime that happened. Police may lie about the crime because they don’t want to get in trouble because of something that they did wrong. Also the suspect may be telling the truth and the police is just

Police body cameras can be made very small and unnoticeable to the public, which can be worn on your shirt or hat. The ultimate purpose of these body cameras worn by police officers would be to keep track of any evidence the officer interacts with, keep officers under appropriate civil control, and to gain more trust from the public. I think all officers over the United States should agree

Even though the benefits outweigh the negatives there are still some negatives that come with every officer being outfitted with body cameras. As pointed out earlier the start out cost and maintenance cost are extremely high, but what most don’t think about is the privacy concerns. Scholars have hinted at the fact that body cameras could infringe on peoples 4th amendment right, that being the right to privacy. One of these scholars is Marc Blitz, who makes the argument that in some cases police are called to people’s homes, and if that officer was wearing a body camera it could record details and layouts of that person’s home (Blitz, M, 2015). Lindsay Miller and Jessica Toliver, both scholars working for the Office of Community Oriented Policing

Even though the benefits outweigh the negatives there are still some negatives that come with every officer being outfitted with body cameras. As pointed out earlier the start out cost and maintenance cost are extremely high, but what most don’t think about is the privacy concerns. Scholars have hinted at the fact that body cameras could infringe on people’s right to privacy. One of these scholars is Marc Blitz, who makes the argument that in some cases police are called to people’s homes, and if that officer was wearing a body camera it could record details and layouts of that person’s home (Blitz, 2015). Lindsay Miller and Jessica Toliver, both scholars working for the Office of Community Oriented Policing Service in Washington D.C. also

Officers in the united states should be required to wear surveillance cameras while on duty. In Michigan, the percentage of killing innocent citizens is 32.5 of every 100,000 in 2011. Many civilians feel that it is important that officers should be required to wear body cameras while on duty because they are killing innocent citizens for any typical reason. Officers every move should be watched while on duty to see what they are doing to citizens. In a couple years in the united stated all cities police forces will required to ear body cameras while on duty. If the law works together and fairly making sure officers are required