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Police Body Cameras Research Paper

1823 Words8 Pages

It’s no secret that everyone holds their own opinion regarding the actions of police officers and other positions of authority within these past years, be it positive or negative. From the shootings of innocent and unarmed civilians to disciplinary action being taken against those that haven’t done anything unlawful, there’s rarely a day when the police force of the United States doesn’t find itself involved in some sort of controversy. No matter what side people find themselves supporting in these instances, be it the police or the civilian, it’s true that both sides can benefit from the use of these police body cameras.
Police body cameras hold one main purpose and that’s to deteriorate the ever-present risk of unnecessary aggression on …show more content…

One of the more widely renowned cases in which a body camera would have been useful is the case of Michal Slager. Slager is a former police officer of South Carolina. The reason that it’s important to put emphasis on the word “former” is that he was recently involved in a murder trial. Slager had shot a black man named Walter Scott. Slager’s justification for shooting Scott was that Scott had stolen his taser and had attempted to attack Slager with it. This was heavily backed by the police department and nobody seemed to question the truth and sincerity of his statements. After demonstrating to the court exactly how Scott had attacked him, a new piece of evidence was bestowed upon the judge and jury. This piece of evidence proved to be the most crucial, as it had finally shone some light on a case that would have been falsely ruled. This evidence was a video that was taken by a passerby. The footage showed Scott as he attempts to make a getaway before Slager took aim and fired multiple rounds into Scott as his back was turned. Once incapacitated, Slager is seen approaching the lifeless body of Walter Scott and planting his taser nearby. Of course, it’s easy to see that Slager’s story does not match up with the truth. After being shocked by the massive differences between Slager’s story and what the video showed to be true, Slager was then tried and found guilty of the murder of Walter Scott (“Former South Carolina Police Officer”). Had the benefits of a body camera been …show more content…

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

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339 Words | 2 Pages

The reason for this statement is body cams are an officer’s defense according to the passage “Body cams protect officers from deceitful reporting which can sway public reporting”. This is all the more to have body cams it works out for the community and law enforcement. The cams can also allow for officers to review footage if an incident would arise where the officers would have to defend themselves form public voice. Allowing them to do so can improve relation with the public. Most officers will see the cams as a threat but they are here for condemning the bad and parsing the good

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538 Words | 3 Pages

Yes these cameras would make solving issues in cases much easier, but there are many who think this is a violation of their privacy to have an officer with a camera entering their house or looking into their car. It is understandable that someone would not want a rolling camera seeing into their home, but the ability to prove innocence or guilt in a court case should more than outweigh this temporary invasion. If someone is accused of something and the option of having a camera that could prove or revoke the accusation, or having no evidence to prove anything, which should be chosen? Should police officers carry body cameras? If so, should there be restrictions on when and where they can be used?

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702 Words | 3 Pages

2. Another good thing about it is that police officers or the aggressor can be held accountable for their actions. Continuously wearing body cameras would hold police accountable for their appropriate, and inappropriate, conduct (Baum, E.,2015). 3. The cons about body cameras are privacy issues and limitations.

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768 Words | 4 Pages

Police brutality has been one of the most dangerous issues that have been happening around the united states. A solution that has been talked about worldwide is body cameras on police officers. This solution would be very successful in stopping or decreasing police brutality The one that would be successful is the body cameras because the station would know what is going on at all times. How this solution is better is because this solution of body cameras would decrease the amount of crimes caused by the police and this would be beneficial for the police academy to have body cameras on the officers at all times. For example, the police at ASU now have body cameras on them at all times,"It 's just a process of us bringing the ASU police department

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898 Words | 4 Pages

Body cameras used by police officers are little cameras that are attached to the officers vest and it records every interaction with a suspected suspect. Evidence can provide meaning and show key things that may have happened during a situation. Footage also protects everyone; this means everyone in the situation is protected because the world is watching them. Body cameras also have reliable technology meaning the technology on the

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1503 Words | 7 Pages

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.

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478 Words | 2 Pages

Debates regarding body cameras for police officers have come up frequently in the past years due to an increase of attention in the media of police officers killing black lives. I believe the use of body cameras for police officers can propose pros for the community; such as recording if an officer is not doing the right thing. Or if a citizen would want to make a complaint on an officer, internal affairs can pull the recording and investigate the matter to take care of the complaint appropriately. Another pro to having body cameras for officers is if an officer were to be killed on duty, evidence would be on film to identify who the suspect is and what had occurred on scene. “Fatal confrontations recorded by bystanders are now commonly used

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582 Words | 3 Pages

Police officers should wear body cameras, because the use of body cameras should both reduce the use of force and lessen the need and the opportunity to lie about it. Also video footage from the body cameras will provide police superiors with a potent tool for reliable supervision, debriefing and discipling, enabling them to commend the good. First,

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842 Words | 4 Pages

There have been many complaints about if body cameras on police officers will work or not. There are two people that have different opinions that other people that think body cameras will stop police brutality against police officers. William N. Grigg, and Joshua Krause these people think body cameras on police officers will not work, and will not stop or decrease the violence from police officers. Grigg’s argument is Their arguments are that the officers from the SDPD forgot to turn on their body cameras while on duty. A crime that happened in April, Officer Neal Browder fatally shot a 31-year-old man named Fridoon Zalbeg Rawshannehad, who had been suspected of carrying a knife.

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585 Words | 3 Pages

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.”

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1487 Words | 6 Pages

Arizona State University 's Center for Violence Prevention and Community Safety on body camera studies, Professor Michael D. White states “Body-worn cameras (BWCs) are perhaps the most debated topic in policing today. Advocates and critics have made numerous claims about the impact and consequences of the technology, but most of these claims are untested. BWCs have the potential to completely transform police-citizen encounters, and in the wake of the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, adoption of the technology is likely to be exponential. This transformation, in the virtual absence of empirical evidence on BWCs, is profoundly troubling.” So although there are many pros and cons to body worn cameras by police officers, the benefits surely outweigh the negatives and more studies are being conducted to prove

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1082 Words | 5 Pages

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.

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1229 Words | 5 Pages

They have been proven to decrease the amount of complaints towards officers and lowering the amount of police force. Body cameras being equipped on patrol officers would make an easier way to prosecute criminals and bring justice. After the fatal shooting of Michael Brown, the use of police body cameras intensified, spreading to different departments across the country. “The use of body cameras by police officers has begun to receive a good deal of attention from police departments, lawmakers, media, and the public” (5 Ways Body Worn Cameras Have Helped Police Officers). While body cameras can be very helpful on patrols and investigations, on duty police officers should be required to equip themselves with a body camera

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134 Words | 1 Pages

How would feel if you woke up to your phone ringing at two o’clock in the morning and on the other end of the line was a person telling you to come to the hospital to identify your husband, who was killed during an altercation with the police? Or vice versa, and your husband was the officer! For the rest of your life you will wonder who was wrong and who was right. The use of body cameras by police officers will rid a person of these uncertainties and provide closure. They allow people to get a true insight into what really happened in these uncertain events.

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812 Words | 4 Pages

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

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