The And Law Enforcement Officers

Over the last few years there has been much controversy leading up to the need for law enforcement officers to wear body cameras. This is not only for citizens but also for the officers’ protection. With so much debate regarding police brutality and excessive force body cameras are quickly on the rise. New technology is giving police on a state and federal level a new opportunity to cut back on some of the allegations and negativity we have seen in the last few years. On the other hand it is giving citizens all over the country the safety they should feel when being approached by law enforcement. Our technology has improved significantly over the years and this seems to be something that will benefit everyone.

In 2002 alone, large state and local law enforcement agencies, those with 100 or more officers, received more than 26,000 citizen complaints about officers’ use of force. Among those complaints only eight percent had sufficient evidence of the allegation to justify disciplinary action against the subject officer (U.S. Department of Justice). These incidents occur frequently but what truly happens is never very clear. Witness reports don’t hold up with evidence, the victim has their recollection of what happened and the police officer has another. There is no concrete way to hold police accountable for their actions unless there is hard evidence to prove them guilty. This allows officers to use excessive force and not face any penalization from their department or in court.

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.

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

Of course we all know about what happened in Ferguson, Missouri this past August. Michael Brown, who was

    The United States criminal justice system has been having major issues with police brutality recently. According to The Washington Post, In 2015 alone almost one thousand people were shot and killed by the police. This statistic is staggering as it shows how much deadly force is being inflicted on the public. The police brutality is not only shootings as in many cases the police actions are justified in court, however, there has been recent outrage over police being overly aggressive and abusive towards the public; specifically with the African American community. This has sparked mass protest and in extreme cases riot have broken out. The public has become fed up with the police getting off with little to not punishment for their crimes due to most of the evidence being testimonies. Body cameras are the glaring solution to this problem. The give insight into what really happened during an altercation where there was an officer related shooting that left a young man dead. An example of this is a recent event in Baltimore saw a man arrested on drug charges and got held in jail for months. However the arresting officer was wearing a body camera. Police body cameras start to record for the previous thirty seconds prior to activation. When the footage was reviewed it saw the officer plant evidence at the scene to incriminate the suspect. This led to the release of the accused suspect and the officers are under review (Hendry, E. R., & Barajas, J., 2017, para. 4). Now if the arresting officer did not have that body camera an innocent man would be in jail on drug charges that he had nothing to do with. These are situations that could be happening more than the

The body camera has become a popular choice amongst police departments worldwide. The situation of the scenario, and if the officer or suspect acted in the right can be determined from past footage. The cause of the body camera has been the allegations against officers for how they acted in certain situations, as well as for how the suspect acted during the callout. The effect has been officers being terminated due to lack of integrity or situational awareness, as well as officer safety. Suspects have also been convicted of false accusations against a police officer, as well as crimes presented in court, from fights, to officer involved shootings. The body worn camera has benefited both police officers and the general public.

With so many incidents occurring between law enforcement and civilians, it’s about time we have our officers wear body cameras. Law enforcement wants to use body cameras, many politicians are in favor for them, Civil-rights groups are advocating them, and communities that already have a strong police presence in their neighborhoods are requesting that the police get cameras now. With the uproar of law enforcement and the death of many black American’s, body cameras can be very useful. There is always that missing link when trying to put these horrible moments back together. Far too many times we end up with the suspect dead and only get one side of the story. With the use of body cameras, we can now get more insight on the events that happen (Boyd, 2015).

Mike Brown was an African-American tragically shot by a police officer that spiked racial tension in the community. People of the race were in a

Imagine you received mistreatment from a police officer and decide to take legal action against them. The situation becomes their word against yours because there is no evidence to prove the mistreatment you suffered. Not all police officers are out to treat people incorrectly or use excessive force; however, in the cases when they do, there is usually no way to prove that it happened. There are also cases where people say they were mistreated by a police officer, but it is not true. What if there were a way to monitor how cops interact with the public? Body cameras offer a solution to the need to monitor police actions. They capture the truth, whether good or bad, that happens with police officers. Police should wear body cameras to be protected from legal cases, as demonstrated in the case of David Muniz, who was accused of being the reason for a Cleveland man’s death.

Law enforcement agencies have been in a heated debate in the use of body cams by the surrounding communities because of the use of force incidents that have occurred in the media. Body cameras are the new age technology that allows law enforcement agencies to record encounters with the community. There are some positives aspects of law enforcement wearing body cams. The body cam allows the officer to interact with residents which will help to eliminate complaints about police behavior and the use of force encounters. The body cam gives video evidence of the decisions made by on-duty law enforcement in violent situations. This helps keep accountability of law enforcement and the ensure that the department and decreases liability. Because the

Violent brutality from police towards citizens has been going on for a long period of time. Many of these altercations are recorded onto phones of bystanders, yet not all videos recorded by bystanders show the full account from the police's attempts to make an arrest and the circumstances which caused or lead up to the death of the victim. Preventing false accusations, providing valuable evidence and victims statements, this signifies that this evidence is immensely crucial to the process of doing an investigation during a criminal act or appropriately incriminating people lives and jobs. False accusations can cause people to be incarcerated and police officers to lose their job for something that wasn’t their fault. Body cameras provide evidence so that crime's like these don’t happen as often as they do. Additionally, Police officers wearing their body cams hold them accountable of their inappropriate actions, or the appropriate protocols they used, which they are presumed to learn in training. This demonstrates why body cameras are essential to ongoing and active investigations and police arrest. Plus help build better trust between the police/law enforcement with their

In today’s society, the people, the press, and the media has created a problematic view towards police officers. Now a days we perceive them as bad men who abuse their authority and disobey their code of conduct. There are far too many incidences that proves police officers are mistreating citizens and their victims. Many people don’t trust police officers as much as they use to, the media portrays police officers as crooked cops who place themselves higher than the law and that they are the law. There are far too many false arrest and mistreatments towards many innocent victims, and so a new plan was set into place that created a big controversy.

The ability to review the totality of the evidence of an incident after it has occurred allows individuals to formulate fully informed decisions. Subsequently, when police officers deal with situations throughout their shift, they are often forced to make a hasty decision without the benefit of all the information. Hence, the majority of law enforcement decisions are without the benefit of incomplete information, yet overall their decisions are just and fair. Moreover, law enforcement is strongly encouraged to wear body-worn cameras at every event, which everyone uses to judge whether their choices are right or wrong. Personal experience has shown that the camera footage of the majority of the videos I review provides only a portion of what truly occurred at the

The issue of police brutality is a slippery slope to contextualize. On one hand a police officer is doing his/her job. On the other hand, there has been questionable arrests made with the use of force. Civilians are recording and releasing video footage that sheds a light on tactics of police officers. The police force has tried to combat the rising scrutiny with Body Worn Cameras (BWC). These cameras were designed to offer a glimpse into the life of law enforcement. Yet, the cameras have added more scrutiny to what goes on in day to day police work. In the court of public opinion, evidence has to be out right blatant not to be prosecuted. Cameras are one step toward the right direction. The question remains, what’s next? To rely on police policy makers on determining what’s right or wrong