Why Are Body Cameras Important

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Body-Cameras
“A government that operates in the dark is a government people should be concerned about.” - Bates, a police analyst. Police Departments around the Nation are looking at requiring officers wearing cameras. In 2014 Barack Obama stated, he would strengthen standards by enforcing body cameras for police departments to lower the amount of deaths, complaints, and viral harassment, towards the police departments. For Instance, Leslie Sapp was fatally shot as Marshals went to Leslie’s house to give him a warrant, they claimed that he pointed a toy gun at them, the Marshals were not charged. 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 …show more content…

Police Departments all over the world claim that the devices are meant to provide justice and trust to the community, allowing the viral harassment to go down because they would be caught on camera doing the right thing rather than the wrong thing. Tod Burke a professional of criminal justice stated, “Transparency is extremely important now when there seems to be a growing distrust between the police and the community.” Meaning, that body cameras has to be the only way to go since there is a big suspicion between the way police departments handle situations and how the community reacts. Also, a Media Relations Coordinator at the San Diego Police Department named Travis Easter, declared that, “If officers and citizens are being watched, we are both more liable to do the right thing.” Which connotes to if people are on camera they would more regularly than not behave better than they would if they weren’t on camera because the footage is used a evidence, and the community is able to see