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Impact of technology on policing
Impact of technology on policing
Importance of body cameras in policing
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Recommended: Impact of technology on policing
Keenan Woods-Scott
With the many events that have happened over the past decade in terms of criminal activity, technology has vastly evolved in order to comfort those who are endanger/unsafe in addition to the prevention of crime. The criminal justice system purpose is to not only protect us citizens but to also prevent any sort of threatening/dangerous activity. In order to follow these guidelines, the system implemented many solutions/procedures that have the ability to prevent any situation. The use of cameras has developed over time in order to prevent certain types of crime especially within different environments. Cameras are used practically everywhere for security purposes especially within banks, buildings, governments offices, open
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The goal of the body cameras is to prevent police misconduct and also protect police against false accusations of abuse especially when there is not a sufficient amount of witnesses or evidence (Stanley, 2013). In addition, the use of these cameras is another form of active monitoring for each stop police officers make. According to Stanley (2013), policies and technology are designed to ensure that police do not have the power to pick and choose which encounters to record. If this happens, there would be no use/purpose of the cameras and in result, the violation of stop and frisk tactics would continue to be an issue. Notifying the public that there is a body camera in use is highly considered as well. If a burglary is in progress, police officers may enter right in the middle of the crime and mention that a camera is in use or “lapel camera in operation” (Stanley, 2013). Simply mentioning the existence of the camera could potentially stop the offender from continuing further or even scare the offender away. Once verbal statement is announced, offenders will have the pressure of being watched and if they do get away, it is possible that the camera has a good picture of …show more content…
However, there are many limitations CCTV cameras could have as the device continues to evolve. One of the main limitations is that with cameras being in public places, people may feel a vibe that the area is “unsafe” due to cameras installed or fear of crime (Ratcliffe, 2011). This could potentially push citizens away from going to certain areas and definitely hurt the business industry. Further limitations mentioned is that “displacement” would occur meaning potential criminals would move out of the camera sight in order to commit the crime which is called spatial displacement (Ratcliffe, 2011). In this case, victims are still unsafe if they are not in the camera view for police to monitor. However, with the limitations, technology evolving, and police departments conducting many studies, it seems possible to overcome these limitations and find a better
I feel body cameras will bring more awareness to police departments when it comes to the honesty in their staff’s action when they are unsupervised. They can be used as hard evidence in court rooms, to help make the correct judgment on the situations in question. A case of which Officer Michael Slager fell victim to when the courts later changed their verdict after being presented with a video of what really happened.
According to the department of Justice of found that “both offices and civilians acted in a more positive manner when they were aware that a camera was present”. Cameras could prevent instance of police abuse in the future and awareness to the public. Any video captured can be valuable evidence in court by providing live footage of a crime gone terrible wrong. By body cameras being recording live, police can create a better trust with in law enforcement and their communities. Using body cameras can be a create source of educating law enforcement creating better policing skills. All officers on duty should be requaired to use body cams while on duty.
There have been lots of modern technologies introduced in the United States of America to assist law enforcement agencies with crime prevention. But the use of body-worn cameras by police personnel brings about many unanswered questions and debate. Rising questions about the use of body cam are from concern citizens and law enforcement personnel. In this present day America, the use body cameras by all law enforcement personnel and agencies are one of the controversial topics being discussed on a daily base. Body worn cameras were adopted due to the alleged police brutality cases: for instance, the case of Michael Brown, an African-American who was shot and killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, on August 2014, Eric Garner died as a result of being put in a chokehold by a New York police officer, and John Crawford, shot and killed by a police officer at a Walmart in Beavercreek, Ohio.
While both dash cams and body mounted cams record interactions between police and citizens, “dash cam- eras are confined to places where cars can go, which are usually public places, such as roads and parking lots. A dash camera cannot easily record inside people’s homes and other places where there is a heightened expectation of privacy”(Freund 97). Thus, allowing body mounted cameras to record the more private aspects of a law enforcement related situations. Also “unlike body-mounted cameras, CCTV cameras do not record conversations”(Freund 98).This could deter people from going to the police when they witness a crime, because they are afraid of being exposed to the person who committed the crime, giving them the information needed if they choose to retaliate. Ebi, Kevin states that “sensitive information can 't get out if it 's never recorded in the first place,” so, if there is a distress call made to the police for help, there won’t be concern that the person in distresses voice, face or the inside of their home could end up on YouTube ("Body Of
Since their inception, police body cameras have been a controversial topic as many do not agree on their effectiveness and legality. To the trained eye, body cameras clearly have no negatives other than the sheer cost of their implementation. Some people, nonetheless, do believe that it is an encroachment of privacy for police to record private and/or public interactions even though it is purely legal. While that may be seen as a negative, it is wholly subjective and must be completely ignored when considering the factual analysis of police body camera use that is necessary to verify their validity. When only taking fact into account, there is no way to deny the nearly infinite benefits of body cameras.
In addition an officer is also more likely to behave in a more respective manner that follows standard operating procedures when encountering a civilian. “A 2013 report by the Department of Justice found that officers and civilians acted in a more positive manner when they were aware that a camera was present” (Griggs, Brandon). Critiques claim that the usage of body camera is invasive of the officers and civilians privacy. However, according to Brandon Griggs a CNN Senior Producer, a petition to urge officers to wear body cameras have been signed by more than 150,000 people. This is a sign that reflects on the idea that civilians are supportive of such mandate. Furthermore, policies and procedures can be implemented along with the usage of cameras to ensure that civilians’ privacy is not being invaded. For example, police officers can wear a tag that displays a sign that there is live recording of events taking place or officers must be required to disclose to civilians that there statements and actions are being recorded at the present moment. Another concern of privacy is one that
In his article, “Police Cameras Need to Protect Privacy, Too,” Michael Chertoff responds to the concerns of privacy. He acknowledges that criminal justice information needs good security because it is information about citizens, often at their most distressed and vulnerable. “Imagine if someone hacked and even edited video of alleged criminals before they were even charged or of child victims descri...
Surveillance cameras have helped hundreds of law enforcement agencies solve thousands of crimes throughout the nation. They have become so helpful that most law enforcement agencies are planning on setting them up on street corners, buildings, publication parks, and on their own officers. There are many cities across the nation that have began to use surveillance cameras. Setting up cameras is a pivotal technique to solving and preventing crimes. Although, it is often argued that having law enforcement surveillance cameras set up throughout the nations communities is an invasion of privacy, citizens should sacrifice a little bit of privacy in return for their safety and protection of civil rights against criminals and police officers.
One of the many drawbacks that come with using body cameras is due to the fact that there is a locus of control. This may pose a problem because there is an underlying question of who can control the cameras. There can be many videos of incidents that are not captured because an officer decided to turn off their camera. Officers have the ability to turn them off or on which causes the problem of each officer not releasing them. Many departments across the country does not even allow individuals to access the footage that is recorded and with the laws that are in place for many department to deny access to the footage that they have. Due to each officer having to release the footage that they capture, they are allowed to review the footage that they record before they make a statement (Harvard Law Review). This is one of the biggest drawbacks because controlling the video footage is important in not only courts but to ensure the minds of
There are an estimated 30 million surveillance cameras in the United States, proving to be a normal feature in American lives (Vlahos). This is no surprise because in the past several years, events such as the 9/11 attack and the availability of cheaper cameras have accelerated this trend. But conflicts have come with this and have ignited, concerning the safety of the people versus the violation of privacy that surveillance has. Although camera surveillance systems are intended to provide safety to the public, the violation of privacy outweighs this, especially in a democratic country like America.
There are some major upsides in having cameras in public places. In early 2013 two people set off bombs at the Boston marathon, which killed several people and injured hundreds. The city of Boston had cameras monitoring the streets, and was able to identify the bombers within two days. (La Vigne, Nancy) The FBI was able to catch them before they were able to carry out another planned attack in Times Square, which could have been much, more devastating. In addition to being able to solve crimes that have already happened by using cameras, we are also able to use them and the other technologies that go with it to prevent crime. The National Security Agency has reported that it has prevented several terrorist attacks since 2001 using new technology put in place to prevent the attacks. However, much of the NSA’s tactics have been criticized lately, though the majority of people still agree that it is worth it. Using cameras is also a cheap way to monitor an area. Having to employ several police officers to patrol an area can be expensive and those officers could be out doing more important jobs. When you have cam...
There are many tracking technologies that law enforcement are using in this day and age. Using newly developed technology may help law enforcement capture criminals much faster. Also, this enables officers to respond more quickly to a crime scene. Using some of these equipment can save a person’s life with a quick response.
Having a network of cameras on every street in the city increases the chances of preventing a crime, along with the ability to capture a criminal on video. Some people argue that the cameras generate an overwhelming amount of evidence to sift through.... ... middle of paper ... ... However, because all this technology is relatively new, there are not really any policies that have been enacted yet.
The surveillance camera plays a significant role to prevent crimes by warning the criminal that their unlawful activity will be filmed on cameras. Therefore, the police can easily arrest them and bring them back to justice. It helps providing useful evidence for trials and makes the prosecution easier. The major advantage of using surveillance cameras is to protect property from theft and vandalism, and ensures public safety. Using surveillance cameras in public places is very important, the cameras are capable to snap picture form far away, and it will help to investigate unlawful activity such as robbery, kidnapping, car accident, murder and drug dealing. Currently in New York City the FBI found lots of evidence that terrorist might plant to attack especially in subway and crowded place. New York City spends millions of dollars on security cameras, to keep track on terrorist activities everywhere in the city. Only In lower Manhattan there are 3,000 cameras monitoring the entire area. People will feel safer from terrorist attacks such as bombing, gun shooting, and other violence crimes. The offenders might not see the camera, but the camera will record his action. The other criminal or terrorist will learn lesson that even though there is no police, the security can see whatever they doing through the camera. Therefore, they might able to take action before the crime happen. I strongly agreed that surveillance must be setup in the public and business places, it can’t eliminate crimes but it will able to reduce crimes.
Since surveillance cameras have been invented for security reasons at shopping malls and stores they have also been place in public areas such as stoplights, parking lots, hallways, bus stops, and more.