Benefits of Police Officers Wearing Body Cameras

Introduction: We live during a period where technology is evolving, such as cameras. Everywhere, we look there will most likely be a camera recording everything. Most people take their cell phone out and film fights, arguments, or police brutality that always seems to appear on the news. If the public can record with their phone, should police officers? In the law enforcement field, there is a debate on whether or not police officers should wear body cameras. Even though some people consider police officers should not have to wear body cameras, there are many reasons a police officer should wear a body camera. Body cameras tend to provide accurate documentation of what happened in the field. Body cameras can document everything of eyewitnesses, victims, and suspects. Wearing a body camera could provide better evidence for an arrest on prosecutions for an officer, a better police officer, and citizen behavior, and protection from false accusations. The use of body-worn cameras are an excellent idea because it can capture lots of information during an incident. Thesis statement: All police officers should have to wear a body camera, no matter what the circumstance.

Topic sentence: When the police are wearing a body camera, it will help with providing evidence against an officer. If a police officer commits a crime, like shooting unarmed people, racial slurs, it will get caught on camera. Evidence & citing: Statistics say police brutality in the number one crime against police officers Police brutality is one crime that many police officers tend to not go down for because there is no hard core evidence. “Reliable statistics concerning the incidence of police brutality are places difficult to obtain.” “In places where brutality is most serious, the systems of accountability are so inadequate that the police have virtual impunity so that the frequency of the use of brutality can only be inferred”. If police officers were to use body cameras the use of body cameras, there would be evidence that can get presented to the jury. “It can be the use of testimony or even demonstrative evidence, such as a digital video representing what is thought to have occurred at the crime scene. Video evidence will help the arrest and prosecution of offenders because body cameras will tell the real-time and records of the events. By using a body-worn camera, the officer can capture many small details they could have missed at a crime scene. Police body camera footage can allow criminal defense lawyers a new aspect. Body cameras can also make sure that the evidence will not be tampered.

Topic sentence: If a police officer is using a body camera, there will be better behavior from police officers and citizens. People seem to act differently when they are being recorded. But the question is, how will police officers react while they are being recorded on duty? Commentary: Police officers who are wearing body camera behavior will improve more than officers who do not wear body cameras. Statistics have shown that the police officers who are wearing body cameras have less conflict and handle situations more calmly and professionally. Body cameras can hold police officers liable for their behavior, good or bad. According to the New York Times, “The number of complaints filed by civilians against officers declined, by 90 percent compared to last year'. This suggests body cameras will help police officers respond better to a situation. Commentary: Citizens often change their behavior towards a police officer when they are informed they are being recorded. If people understand cops owning a body camera, that would make people consider twice before doing something in front of a cop and try to get away with it. Many police officers and law enforcement will be trusted by citizens today.

Topic sentence: Body cameras will protect the public or police from false accusations. Evidence & citing: A body camera can help with what can be heard and see what happened in an incident. Body cameras protect officers from fraudulent charges by providing a visual recording. According to USA Today news, “A woman who said a Texas state trooper assaulted she could face charges herself after body cam shows no evidence of misconduct”. Often a citizen and police will have different reports on what happened. Citizens can get falsely accused of a crime because of their race or age. For example, In the book “The Hate You Give,” a black male was accused of having a gun, but instead, it was a brush in his hand, and the police officer shot him. If the police officer were to wear a body cam, he would have shown that the police lied about him having a gun and would have gotten charged with murder. Body cameras will help with a lot of cases if an officer is to wear one.

Conclusion paragraph: Many people argue that police officers should not wear body cameras, but fail to realize that body camera can be an excellent benefit. Police body cameras are not only to benefit the police officers and their departments, but to protect civilians as well. The effectiveness of body cameras will protect the safety of the public and the officers. They should wear body cameras because the number of complaints will decrease. There would also be less crime committed, and fewer people being harmed. However, the cameras will help the police department know what is going on and make sure they do not overdo their job. Police officers wearing a body camera are a good idea because they could catch evidence for a case. According to Laurent Sacharoff and Sarah Lustbader, “Body camera video will sometimes show that the defendant is innocent of the charge. It may show the defendant did not resist arrest, or attack the officer, or that the defendant was acting in self-defense against excessive force”. Would you want justice if someone was falsely accused of a crime? The only perception is to get officers to wear body cameras. Changes would be positive for the officers and the public.

Works Cited

1. Chevigny, Paul G. 'Police Brutality.' Encyclopedia of Violence, Peace, and Conflict, edited by Lester R. Kurtz, Elsevier Science & Technology, 2nd edition, 2008. Credo Reference, http://lawsonstate.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/estpeace/police_brutality/0?institutionId=4837. Accessed 26 Oct. 2019.
2. Henderson, Harry. 'law enforcement and computers.' Encyclopedia of Computer Science and Technology, Harry Henderson, Facts On File, 3rd edition, 2017. Credo Reference, http://lawsonstate.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/fofcomputer/law_enforcement_and_computers/0?institutionId=4837. Accessed 27 Oct. 2019.
3. Sacharoff, Laurent, and Sarah Lustbader. 'WHO SHOULD OWN POLICE BODY CAMERA VIDEOS?' Washington University Law Review, vol. 95, no. 2, 2017, p. 269+. Gale Academic OneFile, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A515383346/AONE?u=bir5596&sid=AONE&xid=e7b1ce47. Accessed 29 Oct. 2019.
4. Ripley, Amanda, and Timothy Williams. “Body Cameras Have Little Effect on Police Behavior, Study Says.” New York Times, 20 Oct. 2017, nytimes.com/2017/10/20/us/police-body-camera-study.html.
5. May, Ashley. “A Women Said a Texas State Trooper Sexually Assaulted Her. Her Lawyer Apologized after Seeing Body Cam Footage.” USA TODAY, 24 Oct. 2018, https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/05/24/body-cam-video-exonerates-texas-state-trooper-accused-sexual-assault/639858002/.