Over the past couple years there has been an ever increasing amount of reports against police using excessive force when the situation does not call for it. Every time a case like this happens hundreds if not thousands of dollars are wasted to correct the situation. This is due to the conflicting statements between eyewitnesses and law enforcement officers. Forensic investigations are needed to understand what most likely occurred. When we are little we were told to always trust police officers because they are there to look out for us, but not every police officer has that same idea. The officers are people and people are flawed by nature but we hold them to a higher standard and that their word is worth more than the average citizen in a court of law. This leads to officers being considered correct until valid conflicting evidence is introduced where the officer is shown in the wrong. Thankfully modern advances in technology, specifically smart phones, are causing new evidence to be provided to be in video format more often. Body cameras are one of the proposed solutions to help solve this ongoing conflict due to their easy implementation but the cameras have hidden costs that are not immediately thought of. Overall the cost of using cameras is outweighed by the social benefits gained from implementing them. Michael Brown was an unarmed eighteen year old African-American male when he was shot and killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. The incident caused an
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
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.
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
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.
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.
The body cameras will record of what occurred and this camera will be the tool which will make it clear whether the officer was justified in using force and also it will prove the fact that the officer was correct. Everyone has a right to act in self defense. The video from the body camera presents an unbiased account of the events. This is a very important fact because nowadays when police officers make an assert of a criminal we see that most of the criminals are African American which makes them biased. The body cameras has no motive to lie and it has no stake in the outcome. It merely records the event as it happens. If a police officer acts lawfully, then he should not be blamed and accused wrongfully. The officers have the right to defend themselves and not suffer the punishment which they do not deserve. The usage of the body camera will not only provide the officers defense but it will be this strongest witness which will not be argued with. There are some drawbacks to the use of body cameras such as privacy concerns for both officers and the citizens when they encounter each other. The storage of data capturing images of innocent people, the possible tampering with the images, and the
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).
Body Cameras for Police Officers in Every Program In Arizona, use-of-force complaints decreased by 75 percent for officers using cameras in a pilot program. In Idaho, they dropped by 24 percent. The people of America, should not have to worry about summoning their own executioners when they call for help, but today they must consider the excruciating possibility. There has been an increase on the number of complaints on officers that use violence, but the ones that wear body cameras reduced the violence and showed less complaints.
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
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 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.
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
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
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
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.