Police use of force has been heavily surveyed for more than a year after fatal police encounters with unarmed black men in many parts of the U.S. This increase in attention has renewed calls for law-enforcement officers to wear video cameras while on duty. It is said that the devices are needed to provide transparency, build public trust and provide evidence against false complaints. However, as more law-enforcement agencies are beginning to use the cameras, questions are emerging as to when the cameras should be turned on and off and how much footage should be made available to the public. There is a lot of contriversy when discussing the body worn cameras. Obviously if the cameras provide transparency, the citizens or public would not be aware that they are being filmed and recorded. This clearly bumps out the fact that people want their privacy respected. Needless to say we have people who assume that the cameras would benefit every community, especially areas where most crimes occur, in a good way. …show more content…
During this trial study, 54 front line officers were randomly assigned to either wear body cameras and to not wear cameras while on shift. There were 988 shifts examined by researchers, and of those 988, officers wore cameras in 489 shifts and did not in 499 shifts. The number of use-of-force incidents were compared as well as complaints against police in the trial period to the years before. From 2009 to 2010, the use-of-force was at 70 percent and complaints were at around 35 percent. From 2010-2011, use-of-force was a little over 60 percent and complaints had risen to 50 percent. 2011 to 2012, use-of-force was at 65 percent and complaints had dropped to a little over 20 percent. During the experimental period, 2012 to 2013, use-of-force decreased tremendously to a bit over 20 percent and complaints were at an all time low, estimating around 2