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.
(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.
Another child has lost their life to senseless violence and the officers have been slapped on the wrist. Body cams can prevent a tragedy and aid officers in building a better community and protect their image. Not only that the body cams are the only way officers can improve on the daily. Body cams are a way to prevent unneeded violence in the community and get the truth. The cams will allow every detail of the event to be recorded and played back.
Such videos like the videos recorded by dash cams in law enforcement vehicles get posted up to youtube all the time for everyone to see, and now with body cameras, more personal, up-close videos will be recorded and posted online. (Pearce, 2014). Supporters also argue that there are many advantages for law enforcement to be equipped with a body camera Including, more transparency on police and civilian interactions, and it is also beneficial for everyone on both parties, so civilians, cops, and the courts can see exactly what happened before, during, and after the interaction. Additionally, decisions made by law enforcement in the line of duty can also be reviewed by courts to ensure that the police officers are abiding by the same laws that they are enforcing. The cold hard evidence of a video immediately eliminates any possible lies brought by the citizen, the cop, or a witness who saw the
Body worn cameras can be a valuable addition to the equipment and technology used by law enforcement. Body-worn cameras can protect police officers and the public from wrongful accusation
According to Tsin, “ One hypothesis is that body cameras have a civilizing effect on behavior on both sides of the camera” (Tsin). This proves that body cameras speaks for both the police officer and the citizen. This also shows that body cameras can establish trust between the police officer and the communities they serve. As Tsin stated in “Body Cameras Increase Police Transparency and Accountability”, “the use of body cameras can also improve the gathering of evidence at a crime scene by providing an accurate and contemporaneous record of events” (Tsin point). This shows that body cameras are accurate and aren’t based on the officer's memory of what happened.
This will help the jury decide what happend so they can get more information on what to do about the case. According to thehill.com 88 percent of Americans believe that police should be wearing body cameras on them while working for safety. Why do body cameras help These body cameras help the jury by collecting enough footage of the case so that there is information to show what had happened. Wearing body cameras prevent costly lawsuits and help the police officers.
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
The body cameras would be used as a tool and for the public to see, allowing the complaints to go down. It is critical that policemen wear body cameras because it saves lives, brings justice to the ones involved, and builds a bond with the community. The first reason it is
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.
After the police brutality attacks that have become quite popular and common within the United States, the affirmative action, requiring all police to wear body cameras, see that this procedure will alleviate and hopefully eliminate all counts of police brutality. These body cameras will be instituted to protect both parties since “the arguments in favor of police body-cams are simple. The videos would offer an accurate and unbiased record of exactly what occurred in each officer’s shift,” (Klabin, 2015). In order to protect our citizens, police officers have been entrusted with the immense responsibility of having the authority to use force within certain circumstances. But we are not being protected.
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.
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
The video footage would not only be available to the community but to ourselves so we will be able to view our actions from the perspective that everyone else sees us. The footage captured from the body cameras is what Smith refers to as the impartial spectator that is always monitoring the behaviors from both citizens and police officers. Public access to footage from body cameras would also serve as a deterrence to excessive force from all parties. This as Smith states will allow for people to act virtuous at all times as they will need to be in control of their actions as they would always be monitored. Public access would also ultimately lead to what Bentham referred to as discipline that could be internalized in all situations not only those related to police encounters.
