Body Cameras Disadvantages

694 Words3 Pages

In recent news reports, numerous cases of police brutality resulting in the death of unarmed citizens frequently occur. The cases describe similar incidents in which authorities racially profile citizens and proceeds to approach the citizen in an unlawful manner. An altercation escalates between the two when the citizen attempts to resist the police’s unlawful arrest. Police use excessive force against the citizen to make the citizen abide by their commands. Use of excessive force leads to the death of the citizen. Later, the trial goes to court as a partial case and authorities plead not guilty. In defense of authorities’ improper police procedures, the authorities commonly claim that their life was in danger or saw the unarmed victim reach for a weapon. Without sufficient evidence, authorities are capable of breaking free from murder charges. Body cameras are the solution to insufficient evidence of police brutality cases. Mayor Bill de Blasio proposes, …show more content…

One concern is the privacy of authorities and citizens. Body cameras will record continuously while the police officers are on duty. Sensitive or private information may be captured while the camera is recording. Citizens may not want their arrest or emergencies to be recorded. Also, the cameras would record private conversations between authorities discuss amongst one another. The officer could turn off the body camera during private situations but may neglect the thought of turning the camera back on. Not only is privacy a concern with body cameras, but also the property of the footage. Citizens are concerned that the video footage can be modified, obliterated, or improperly stored by police authorities. An agency, other than the police agency, should control the property of the footage. Therefore, investments in independent agencies should be made to keep police from obtaining video