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Why police officers should wear body cameras
Why police officers should wear body cameras
Advanteages of police body cameras
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The first thing to consider is that cameras do not eliminate bias and multiple interpretations of the footage based on the viewer. As the footage will only show the situation from the first person viewpoint of the officer leading to a specific framing of the event. This could become a major concern during court trials considering that reliance on video recordings for evidence will greatly increase as body cameras become more standard in the police force. This will create a need for a documented chain of custody and secure storing for possibly hundreds of hours of footage recorded daily. That will need to be sorted, saved, or deleted as necessary.
Should All Police Officers Wear Body Cameras? Surely everyone has wondered about the accountability of police officers, but maybe this will no longer be an issue. With the help of police body cameras, officers will be accountable for the good they do, and in some situations the awful actions. Although police body cameras would be a moral idea, there are some downsides. The body cameras could be seen as an invasion of privacy, as they would record everyday behavior for police officers, which is not necessary to record.
If you pay attention to the news, you have probably heard about police brutality. There are almost constant reports of police abusing their power and, consequently, injuring those that they are meant to protect. Police should not be required to wear body cameras while on duty! Why should they be monitored to make sure that they are properly doing their job? Why should they be expected maintain the same standards that they enforce on others?
Well, having body cameras as part of an officer’s uniform has its pros and cons. 1.The pros about body cameras are that it can prevent violence. A 2013 University of Cambridge study found that when police wear body cameras, both police and respondents are less likely to use violence. The study indicated a drop in use of force by more than a 50 percent. Body cameras could thus make the streets safer for both officers and the general public (Baum, E.,2015).
Police should wear body cameras because they can improve the public view of police by showing the human side which can help to provide evidence when a person may not be able to, and it protects both parties which both are a vital part of policing. Police officers should be required to wear body cameras so that their use of force can be documented and judged. It's time to think about what measures can be put into place to hold all law enforcement accountable. As a person who has had two friends experience police brutality at the hands of the police it's time to enforce the wearing of the body cameras. Police in every state should agree on letting officers wear an on officer recording system, or body cams that are the size of a ink pen that can be attached to hats, helmets, or collars of their uniforms.
So many lives could be saved and so many police officers’ careers could be saved through the utilization of this idea and the reaping of its benefits. Whether it captures a citizen attack on a police officer or whether it captures a case of police brutality, the great possibilities outweigh the potential cons of police body cameras and make them a risk worth taking. Whether one takes the side of the citizens and believe the police are typically irrational or one takes the side of the police and believe they are only doing their jobs to the best of their ability, the incorporation of body cameras to the controversial police force would be extremely beneficial for
Although officers claim they aren’t as unprofessional as everyone says, many people beg to differ. A lot of people have evidence on how they were mistreated, and how the officers weren’t at all professional. Others have been killed and seriously injured, but the idea is still up in the air after several years. To protect themselves, and others around them, police officers should be forced to wear body cameras while they’re in a case or are talking to a suspect while on duty. Having to wear body cameras would be a positive way to help the authorities to see the truth better than just having to listen to the voice recorder.
“The Right Body Camera Policy” further expands on this idea, stating, “In general, watching body camera footage should reduce dishonesty in incident reports. When the footage reveals unambiguous misconduct, officers would be foolish to file dishonest reports. And when the footage reveals proper behavior, officers would feel emboldened to present their actions honestly and confidently.” Officers that file false reports would face harsh consequences if the truth ever came out. Therefore, with the application of body cameras, officers would be encouraged to be accurate in their reports, as the cameras would show any inconsistencies between the officer’s story and the real story.
Opponents of having all police officers wear body cameras cite privacy concerns, especially if the video recordings are made part of the public record. As stated in Source 3 “The Right Body Camera Policy” it states that “the critic’s main objection to the policy is that it will promote dishonest reporting.” For example, Officers that is feared , will tailor their reports to fit the captured images, revealing only what could not be plausibly denied and leaving out other important details. Even when the video footage reveals unambiguous misconduct, officers would be foolish to file dishonest reports. It's important to consider the detrimental consequences of depriving police officers of video that contains information directly pertinent to their fate.
Police not wearing body cameras is a norm that should be changed. Police should wear body cameras. The cameras lowered the percent of policeman who used lethal force inappropriately, and keeps policeman from being wrongly accused of using lethal force. Anyone can go on NBC’s website and type in police body cameras and take the poll, or get a yard sign, or simply just support body
First, they shouldn’t wear body cameras because it raises high privacy concerns. For example, “Recordings raise high privacy concerns. In some states, anyone can access the video.” (Should Police Wear Body Cameras, pg.23) Also, “Study Reveals Police Officer Are More Likely To Be Assaulted.”
Both law enforcement and civil rights advocates are excited by the potential benefits of body worn cameras to improve community policing and safety. There are many benefits for both citizens and law enforcement officials if body
The reason why officers do not have them on at all times is because they don’t want to be recording very pointless stuff when it’s gonna be wasting the memory of the camera body. Officers turn it on when they are getting off the car or anytime they feel something suspicious is happening. This society is not one that feels protected, but knows when an officer know from right and wrong, many will fight back to have that freedom of speech but it is never really heard from anyone. Officers also know the fact that they are being watched so they can be more careful on how they arrest/ take down a person. This gives a positive point of view to both citizens and police officers.
For the past couple years there has been many injustice cases involving poor accusations of innocent victims. These poor accusations of innocent victims include shootings of innocent African Americans. One way to avoid these problems is the use of body cams. These tiny cameras have saved a Police Officer 's job, justified an innocent victim, and even has saved a person 's life. Recently Police Departments have been using these such body cameras and have seen significant results.
Now there is two possible outcomes, there was police misconduct and abuse of power, or the police officer did everything correctly and by the book. Either way there needs to be something that can protect the public from police misconduct and also protect law enforcement from dealing with false accusations that can tarnish their reputation. That is why body worn cameras need to be mandatory for all police officers to wear because it protects the public and the police officers that are wearing them. A couple positive outcomes police officers wearing body cameras is how they can lower police officers misuse of authority and also lower false complaints against officers as well. These are two
