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Should Police Officers Wear Body Cameras

1242 Words5 Pages

The Proof is in the Footage

Each day, there are police officers around the country who are putting their lives on the line by protecting and serving the public. These men and women are continuously working to improve the safety and well being of communities throughout the United States. Plenty of pressure is put on officers to perform their jobs to the best of their abilities; with the use of body cameras they are able to do just that. Police officers should wear body cameras because it will not only aid in cases against officers, but also encourage correct behavior, and improve the safety of both the public and the officers themselves.

There are many people, including police officers, that are acquitted each year because there …show more content…

Now there are times that an officer’s use of force is necessary, whether the officer feels that his or her own life is at risk, or the public’s lives are in danger. But for the situations where the arresting officer is at fault and is not reprimanded due to the fact that there is not enough evidence of the incident, there is a need for another set of eyes. If officers were to wear portable body cameras, this would help deter “bad cops” from using excessive force on individuals that do not deserve it because the officers are being recorded at all times (Segan 2). Using body cameras will cause good behavior to come naturally for police officers around the country, and turning on the camera is the first step. Some departments that already have cameras in the field are considering stricter penalties for officers who do not turn on their cameras (Kauffman 1). These penalties could include pay dock and even suspension (Kauffman 1). A study was conducted on the Rialto, California police departments from 2012 to 2013 and showed the potential of body cameras (Schiff 2). The department had an 88 percent reduction in complaints against their officers with 50 percent of them wearing cameras (Schiff 2). And there are many other departments showing these improvements with the use of cameras. A high percentage …show more content…

The first counterargument to the use of body cameras is that there will not be enough funding for the cameras. The thing is, the Department of Justice already provides equipment and financial support to law enforcement across the country, so a portion of these spendings could be used to provide for portable cameras (Schiff 1). It is prohibited for departments to purchase body cameras, so they need to assistance of the government to pay for them. But if the United States government was able to contribute more, there would most likely be more police officers equipped with body cameras across the country.
Police officers should wear body cameras because it will not only encourage correct behavior, but also aid in cases of police brutality, improve the safety of both the public and the officers themselves, and also enhance relationships between police and the

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Police body cameras are a necessity for the protection of the perpetrator from an officer that is using excessive force to get him or her to calm down and obey orders. People need to feel safe and should not feel afraid of the cops when they are doing nothing wrong, by using body cameras everyone is and feels

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Many agencies came together in order to pinpoint a solution to accommodate both the safety of law enforcement officers, and the citizens of the community. The “militarization” of the police force in Ferguson, and the excessive use of force claims by the public in these incidents, contributed to the solution of law enforcement officers wearing body cameras while on duty. Today, most if not all law enforcement agencies require their officers to sport body cameras, documenting both the citizen and officers every

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Body cameras have potential to help, even though they have a few flaws. Police behavior could greatly improve with the assistance of body cameras. The body cameras could be a magnificent idea and could improve the public's view on police officers, as long as they are utilized responsibly. Even though they are a good idea, police cameras do have a few disadvantages that cannot be overlooked. Police body cameras are a respectable idea, and they would improve the process of arrests, allow civilians to see the good in officers, and keep officers responsible and

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(Police Body Cameras: Do They Reduce Complaints of Officer Misconduct) For example, footage may be manipulated or it has low memory. On several occasions, there have been incidents where officers have used excessive force some causing deaths. The federal government should provide body camera for police officers for accountability, instill trust, and prevent violence.

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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?

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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).

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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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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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“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.

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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.

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Have you ever seen a police officer wearing a body camera? If you did, you are one of a kind, we are still debating if the police should wear them. The video recordings from body cameras provide valuable evidence while raising high concerns of privacy. The recordings cameras provide are valuable when police and civilian witness differ. I believe that police officers should wear body cameras for two important reasons.

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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

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These body cameras protect the truth with all officers. As the victims step on the court what many don’t know is the truth is carried by officers at all times. These will be supporting any court trail’s if other people have videos it does not have a chance to beat the body cameras. The point of these cameras is so that nothing really bad goes wrong and so officers won’t be accused of police brutality. All this is positive for any law enforcement, nobody will be lying about anything.

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A major benefit for having body cams is the fact that it will decrease the force used by Police Officers. For the past couple of years there has been many videos of Police Officers using excessive force against innocent victims, especially with African Americans. “The notion has been around for a while. But since August 's fatal shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri -- for which witness accounts varied widely -- it 's gained traction to become part of the national conversation about police conduct.” (Brandon Griggs 1)

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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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