Police body cameras are extremely useful in today’s society because video recording are used as evidence in most court cases. In addition to police body cameras, dash cams are especially useful because police are targeted when they forcibly arrest people, as people say it is police brutality. They are also useful when people get pulled over for a speeding ticket due to their timestamp and speed detection abilities.
Whenever you see a police officer stop someone or approach a person, they always click on their body cam. This is to capture the interaction between a cop and a civilian and may be used to justify forcibly arresting someone, or pulling a firearm if the person is to act up. Police cam footage is used in many court cases to prove police brutality, as well as prove the adequate use of force.
One other reason that police body cameras are good for citizens is because it can also improve police behavior when apprehending someone, because the officers know it is on video. It can also improve the behavior of the suspect because they know they are on tape and that their behavior can be used against them in trial. Citizen-police interactions when there is a body camera present are generally more civilized due to this fact.
The use of body cameras can also improve the training quality of recruits trying to become official police officers. Much like an athlete watches films of their games, police officers can watch films of more experienced officers’ encounters with citizens and learn how to prepare better in certain situations, as well as how to act with different types of people. This will improve the quality of training police officers get, as they can now know what to expect when approaching a suspect.
Additionally, the use of police body cameras can positively affect the revenue made by a city. When the Las Vegas Police Department implemented the controlled use of body cameras on hundreds of officers, they found that their employees were more likely to issue a citation or perform an arrest while wearing the device, when compared to those who did not. There were also fewer complaints about the use of force that law enforcement performed while in the community, along with a decrease in the number of official reports filed by the public. Police body cameras provide an advantage because it encourages some police officers to go “by the book” more often, which can generate more revenue for the community compared to officers who are more willing to let someone off with a warning.
One of the biggest advantages to police body cameras is that the video footage that becomes available can be used as valuable evidence in many legal proceedings. Additionally, footage provides an option that can lead to a reduction of court costs because the evidence from this technology is quite convincing. There are even times when this content can provide corroborating material that backs up witness statements or written reports about an incident. Not only does this advantage create the opportunity to reduce the levels of paperwork a police officer might have to do, but it also could improve the rate of convictions and increase the number of successful plea-bargaining efforts that local prosecutors might attempt.
A negative about police body cameras is that context is not often provided, and people have to understand the context of the event before they can properly analyze the footage. Many people today just watch police cam videos and assume police brutality occurred without actually knowing what led up to the events. This can lead to unneeded protests against a police force, especially when the cop really did nothing wrong in the situation.
Overall, police body cameras are not a bad thing for society, as they keep citizens and police more honest, help improve police training and can be utilized as beneficial, clear evidence. However, citizens have to understand the context of what cops are doing before making any assumptions about police body camera footage.