The Importance Of Police Body Camera

Police Body Cameras

In the recent years there was growing tension between police and the community they serve. Police use of force became a national concern throughout the nation, and also there were a waves of protests against the police brutality that shocked the nation. As a result, many activist groups were formed mostly from the people of color, who are requesting reforms in the law enforcement departments. A good example is the Black lives matter movement which was formed after the death of Michael Brown, a young unarmed African American, who was gunned down by a police officer, and other shootings that followed after Brown. Video recorded by eye witnesses displayed police misconducts

A lot of practitioners, lawyers, and academic researchers drown their attention to the issue of police body cameras trying to answer the question “will body-worn cameras reduce police misbehaviors and citizen’s complaints?”. The Legislative departments of the country from the federal level to county level were also debating over to reform the police department by equipping them with body-worn cameras. Although body-worn cameras have benefited, however, they are not the right solution to police brutality and misconducts. Those arguing for the police should wear body cameras are pointing that, cameras are used to record community-police encounters such as crime scenes, accidents, and during detention of criminals. Additionally, cameras are used to provide forensic analysis since they record both sound and images of what exactly happen at the accident or at the crime scene. This will reduce police use

Sometimes the officers do wrong and may choose not to record because if they record they will be penalized for their acts. Furthermore, officers can edit the captured videos and pictures or even may be completely deleted the whole content. Furthermore, when recording cameras are facing away from the officer and focusing only the side of the civilian, so, the officers’ acts cannot be viewed from the camera. As indicated Harvard law review article, body cameras always record footage from the police officer’s viewpoint (“Considering Body Cameras”). If the recorded content is being interfered or improperly recorded, then the fact of what exactly happen will not be revealed, thus, police body cameras are not the appropriate remedy to law enforcement