Body Worn Cameras Research Paper
Definitions For the purpose of this study the definitions for body-worn cameras and Response to Resistance forms are taken from the Elgin Police Department Policy Manual.
Body-Worn Camera Body-worn cameras are defined as a video and audio recording device worn on the body of a police officer during police-citizen encounters to document, firsthand, completely objective accounts of what was said and what occurred between the police-public contact incident.
Response to Resistance Form A response to resistance form is an Elgin Police Department specific form that shall be completed after the use of or show of force to provide supporting information to the police report. Use of Force According to the United States Department of Justice’s
National Institute of Justice, there is not one universal definition used to define use of force (NIJ, 2016). However, they defer to the definition as it is described by the International Association of Chief’s of Police in their 2001 publication of Police Use of Force in America, as any amount of effort required by police to compel compliance from an unwilling subject (NIJ, 2016).
Chapter Summary President Obama put together a task force to address the issues plaguing police departments and the public. Progress needs to be made in stopping the continued diminishing trust of the police in order to move forward. To assist in accomplishing this, law enforcement agencies need to be transparent. One way to address this is to show the public what officers are doing; body-worn cameras are tools that can be used by law enforcement agencies to provide an un-biased point of view. Conducting research into the use of force and wearing of body-worn cameras by the officers of the Elgin Police Department provides the transparency for the department.
Body-Worn Camera Body-worn cameras are defined as a video and audio recording device worn on the body of a police officer during police-citizen encounters to document, firsthand, completely objective accounts of what was said and what occurred between the police-public contact incident.
Response to Resistance Form A response to resistance form is an Elgin Police Department specific form that shall be completed after the use of or show of force to provide supporting information to the police report. Use of Force According to the United States Department of Justice’s
National Institute of Justice, there is not one universal definition used to define use of force (NIJ, 2016). However, they defer to the definition as it is described by the International Association of Chief’s of Police in their 2001 publication of Police Use of Force in America, as any amount of effort required by police to compel compliance from an unwilling subject (NIJ, 2016).
Chapter Summary President Obama put together a task force to address the issues plaguing police departments and the public. Progress needs to be made in stopping the continued diminishing trust of the police in order to move forward. To assist in accomplishing this, law enforcement agencies need to be transparent. One way to address this is to show the public what officers are doing; body-worn cameras are tools that can be used by law enforcement agencies to provide an un-biased point of view. Conducting research into the use of force and wearing of body-worn cameras by the officers of the Elgin Police Department provides the transparency for the department.