The Journal Of Quantitative Criminology

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.

I selected an article about police body cameras. The article cited several studies, as well as the authors’ ideas and thoughts. The article, titled Police Body Cameras, is part of the CATO Institute’s National Police Misconduct Reporting Project, and prepared by Matthew Feeney in 2015. The theme throughout the article is that the use of body cameras will reduce police misconduct. Although we all hope this is the case, we must also look at the other issues involved with the wearing of body cameras. In an effort to gain citizen buy-in and obtain their opinions, they conducted surveys. Interestingly enough, most people did not want the officers to record them, unless it was during an enforcement encounter, such as a traffic stop or arrest situation.

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).

Police body worn cameras are recording devices used by the officers when they are on patrol, which are used for the deterrence of excessive use of force (Ariel et al. 510). The body cameras present a different frontier in the prevention of excessive force since they record the real images the police are watching. The devices are now advocated as useful tools for policing the force. The Department of Internal Affairs often relies on its footage to understand the circumstances surrounding the usage of the excessive force or a complaint on the police behavior. The tools, which are an extension of dashboard cameras, are often worn on the chest and can present the point of view of the officer as they are patrolling or tacking a criminal.

The issue of police body cameras really hit the media hard this week. Blasting from the headlines all citizens were aware that Michael Brown was fatally shot in Ferguson, Missouri. This prompted officers to become equipped with body cameras. This technologically advanced world that we live in today has created a world of tweeting, posting and uploading. It’s about time that police departments take advantage of the tools accessible to them especially with the advancement of equipment. The move forward in technology will help to alleviate speculation on any crime perpetrated. There now will be hard factual evidence on any crime committed against a police officer.

Jamar Newsome Abstract Police departments nationwide have began to consider body cameras. Implementing body cameras department wide face many issues due to funding restrictions. Rialto Police Department faced the s

In today’s society no one is safe from everyday peril. Situations arise daily that may present either a law enforcement official or civilian that could warrant the need for extra protection. In some cases it is a matter of he said, she said. For those faced with such situations, documentation that could be provided by body cameras worn by police officials could be of great use. Body cameras have been tested in a small group of police departments and have provided an overwhelming positive effect. Police officers wearing body cameras not only provide the officers with extra peace o mind but give civilians documentation to back up their sides of the story. Not everyone is in favor of police

They have the power and responsibility to use the force, but citizens expect them to use the amount of force that is proportional, reasonable and necessary for the situation. However, the used of body cameras on police officers will reduce police misconduct like the use of offensive language, including racial slurs, or act with more force than necessary during encounters with citizens. These cameras will keep track of what the officer says or does when at the scene of the crime, keeping them liable. Police Foundation Executive Fellow, Chief Tony Farrar, wanted to test out this theory with a yearlong study. The cameras were distributed to all the patrol officers of the California Rialto Police Department. During their 12 month test period they were haphazardly assigned to experimental or control conditions to see the results and after the test period ended, the results showed very interesting results. “The findings suggest more than a 50% reduction in the total number of incidents of use-of-force compared to control-conditions, and nearly ten times more citizens’ complaints in the 12-months prior to the experiment.” says Chief Farrar (Ariel, et al). Law enforcement officers improved their behavior when using cameras by simply knowing that someone would see their behavior and their performance as officers when the supervisor or the officer in charge was reviewing the camera when your turn

The research conducted to this point of the effect of body-worn cameras on policing is lacking the connection between their use and self-initiated policing. The Mesa, Arizona study showed more self-initiated citizen contacts, but a reduction in stop-and-frisk encounters and arrests (Ready & Young, 2015). Katz et al. (2014) also determined that over a third of officers surveyed felt they would conduct less

The officers provide protection for the community, and when they are put in danger they should feel like a camera or other device has their back. The article“Body Cameras Will Stop Police Brutality” talks about studies that have been conducted to show the effects of police body cameras. The author affirms, “Studies done in localities that have implemented body-worn cameras have shown a positive impact by demonstrating a commitment to transparency and accountability and helping to de-escalate potentially tense interactions” (1). As aforementioned body cameras have been touted as an effective method to help the defender if a cop has done wrong. Now body cameras not only defend one side but both. The use of body cameras can physically protect a police officer; in this instance the perpetrator is more willing to be arrested when he or she knows they are on tape. Additionally, author Tsin Yen Koh brings up the idea that a suspect behaves better on

Simon thinks the body cameras provide officers with a platform for reflection, self-criticism and self-improvement. The heightened accountability might also nudge officers with violent dispositions out of the force, and thus make way for more amenable candidates. Also it should improve the relationship between police forces and their constituent communities (Simon). Body cameras will catch the actions of police and if their behavior is not welcome, it could lead to immediate punishment instead of a long investigation. The overlook of video footage will also help officers learn from mistakes and improve in the next encounter and it should improve their relationship with the community and make them feel more comfortable around them.

I wish to replicate the methodology utilized by Ariel, Farrer, and Sutherland (2015). These researchers conducted a randomized-controlled study with the Rialto Police Department in California. The purpose of their study was to observe the effects of body-worn cameras on the frequency of use-of-force incidents as well as citizens’ complaints. In my research study, I will test only the effect of body-worn cameras on use-of-force incidents. I propose to study the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department in Indianapolis, Indiana. This research setting is a lot larger than Ariel, Farrer, and Sutherland’s study. The Rialto Police Department covered an area of approximately 28.5 square miles, and they served a population of approximately 100,000 residents. IMPD covers an area of approximately 364.3 square miles, and serves approximately 824,000 residents. Rialto has 115 sworn officers whereas IMPD has 1,080 sworn officers (IMPD n.d.).

Technological advances in the modern society have impacted in many ways the police community evolving from the beginning of fingerprinting to the detection of DNA from hair strands. Technology has been implemented in police cars as the dash cam for evidence of video proof in order to protect officers and the general public, now cameras have begun to be invoked into police officers themselves. The technological advancements of our world are constantly changing and innovating meaning police force must adapt to these changes, with that being said law enforcement has begun to implement body cameras to allow them to improve work ethic and may possibly help societies understand the workforce from the law enforcement point of view which can be shown

David Harris, Ph.D., did a study to conduct the effectiveness of police body cameras as a tool for ensuring compliance by the police. He noted that the cameras were devices that are smaller, lighter versions of the video and audio recording systems mounted on the dash boards of police cars (Harris, 2010). Harris (2010) also added that cameras protect police officers by collaborating the officer’s version of the story as well as preserving evidence. Additionally, Ariel et al. (2016) found that the motivation for using a police body camera was to limit the amount of complaints against the

Gathering data and researching material is very important within the criminal justice system. No matter what profession one may have within the judicial system, researching information is something that has to be done at one time or another. Within this paper I plan on discussing what I’ve learned about research for criminal justice and its criteria. Emphases of this paper are to give some informational data on police officers and why they choose protecting the community a profession.