Pros And Cons Of Body Cameras

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, but the idea is still not a law. This thought is that police officers should have to wear body cameras even though it’s been up in the air for a few years. Police should be required to wear the body cameras to protect themselves, and others whenever they are on duty or on involved in something.

Having wearing 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. It will give everyone clear footage, and protect both the officer and

You cannot just turn off your camera when you go to make an arrest, and maybe the person doesn’t want the camera being filmed during the arrest. While this big one others are worried that police will be able to edit the videos. Some people are worried that because an officer is being taped he will act differently. One of the not so big cons, but still important is how does the recordings affect the community. People don’t know what will happen with respect between the community and the officers. (SACS Consulting and Investigative Services, INC)

An experiment went on in 2016. They had half of the staff of officers wear the cameras on their vest and half that hadn’t. When they were wearing their cameras while on their shifts, police did not need to use force 50% less than without wearing cameras. The complaints against police also went down to almost none while using cameras. While the cameras are expensive so are police complaints and use of force. Just one single complaint against the police force can cost up to millions of dollars. For just a tiny force or complaint that can put a big blow in a budget. (The San Diego

One of the reasons people believe it will spread to all police stations is all the interactions recorded are available to audit and are electronically coded. The cameras keep not only the police officers in check but also civilians by reminding them that they are being watched. (The San Diego Union-Tribune) This experiment did have a lot of good points, but there was still 50% that did have complaints or brutality. It isn’t a perfect idea, but not everything can be solved immediately with only one