Preview

Police Body Camera Essay

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
643 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Police Body Camera Essay
Having body-worn cameras brought to service within law enforcement will provide the public with a broader perspective of contact between police and society. Each time a police officer interacts with anyone, a body-worn camera will contribute recorded footage of all that occurred during the contact allowing for less likelihood of false interpretation of a specific incident. The advocacy of the body-worn camera focuses on being an effective solution to a problem with the recorded video documenting exactly what happened, eliminating the he-said/she-said ambiguity that often characterizes police-citizen encounters, and deters misbehavior by police and citizens (Wasserman, 2015). By providing actual video recording of an incident allows for very little explanation of what occurred, as the footage records exactly what happened. These cameras will provide a …show more content…
But it can be seen from an alternate context in that officers in the past have only been able to explain their mindset and viewpoint by interview or writing a report and now they will have the luxury of full video footage. By seeing the events, the demeanor of and the movements made by the subject involved, it is believed that observing parties are better able to understand what may be going through an officer’s mind and how their decision-making evolved (McGuire & Holt, 2017). This is the perfect opportunity to give the public a front row viewing seat to all the craziness law enforcement personnel have the privilege to witness on a daily basis. In some cases, the truth can sound so outlandish that when explained to someone it is hard to believe it could even be true. It also gives an officer the convenience to outline his or her own perspective based on what the video

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    extensively analyzes more than 500 incidents of police use-of-force covered by the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times from 1981 to 1991. The incidents include but are not limited to those defined as "police brutality". Lawrence reveals the structural and cultural forces that both shape the news and allow police to define most use-of-force incidents, which occur in far greater numbers than are reported, she says. Lawrence explores the dilemma of obtaining critical media perspectives on policing policies. She examines the factors that made the coverage of the Rodney King beating so significant, particularly after the incident was captured on video.…

    • 196 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    The LAPD’s body worn camera policy has another ethical issue with not mentioning what kind of footage is being kept. From an ethical judgment, police agencies should not be able to choose whether a footage is going to be released or hidden from public view. This limitation authorizes police officers to decide to keep footage that have them accused of excessive force. The policy…

    • 84 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Albert Kopak

    • 457 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The study showed that officers are likely to develop preconceptions and can have a negative influence on the relationship between civilian and officer. Albert Kopak, (2014) during the quantitative analyses, found that the more bothered police felt by being video recorded, the more likely they were to side with officers who were recorded in the line of duty. Police often have a negative perception of civilians who video record them. However the 1st and 4th amendment protects the public's right to make recordings of officers in line of duty. This article lays down a foundation to access and review this concept for a more in-depth research study on the underlying issue of the controversy of civilian video recording during the officers' line of…

    • 457 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Body Camera Limitations

    • 788 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The time is 3:00 AM on a Saturday morning and Officer Smith is a couple hours shy of completing his shift. Suddenly, his radio crackles to life directing him to respond to a domestic call in a dangerous area of his jurisdiction. Officer Smith is met in the darkened Livingroom by a bloody and naked woman, and his functioning body camera captures the scene in front of him. As he is attempting to calm the distraught women, his peripheral vision captures a man lunging at him with a metallic object from an adjoining room. Officer Smith leaps aside, pulls his weapon, and fatally shoots the man only to find the metallic object was a broken metal towel rod. Even though his body camera was functioning correctly it did not capture the totality of the event, and the alleged victim fails to corroborate his story. This story relates the cameras’ inabilities regarding privacy concerns, failure to capture the incident as a whole, and camera limitations inherent with its usage. Therefore, instead of pushing for nationwide implementation of body cameras it is likely that other alternatives are required until these issues are resolved.…

    • 788 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The first instinct of humans when they are in a mode of panic is to get out of the situation at any means necessary. Even if this means they have to lie their way out of the situation. With the police body cameras present this eliminates the possibility of the person lying their way out. They are forced to tell the truth.…

    • 533 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    However, before body cameras are liberally assigned to every officer, there needs to be more specific regulations and policies concerning when, where, and how the camera and its data should be used and what to do if rising opposition or concerns should appear. However, there are still many issues concerning the daily use of body-worn cameras that the people and governing organizations are slow to address. The distribution of body cameras has simply been too quick and needs further testing, clear policy limitations and proposals, and extended contemplation on all the possible effects or consequences before they become standard use. A police officer that is out on patrol sees a woman being beaten and robbed but when the officer pulls over to the scene the suspect had already gotten away while the officer checked on the woman. Even though the suspect had gotten away, the camera that was attached to the officers uniform and on the dash of his squad car caught the face of the robber and they eventually caught…

    • 590 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    With our new technological day and age, everyone is carrying around their own mobile camera to capture every moment. Some of those moments, however, are not so appealing. Especially when you see a cop beating on someone. With no context, you may be too shocked to know what to think. If you find out that this person they were beating on was unarmed and the police officers didn’t even report hitting the victim, it may waver your trust in the police. Even though police work can be violent, we need to limit the needless brutality through relatively easy fixes so police officers can’t get away with hurting innocent people.…

    • 1323 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Technology has helped solve many cases where police officers were accused of excessive force. Most importantly cameras provide proof of how many police officers have been accused of excessive. The cameras are not only been used to take selfies but have been used to catch how police officers over use their power against people with less power. Not only cell phone cameras from witnesses have helped catch police brutality but police officers own dash cameras in their own police car and video surveillance in the jail cell have also helped prove police excessive force. A video camera from a cell phone caught how the Hammond, Indiana police officers used excessive force on Jamal Jones. Dash cameras have also been used in cases of excessive force by police officers like the case of John Hill. In jail cells there are cameras but this particular camera caught how the Chicago Police used excessive force…

    • 1151 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    These devices allow a firsthand look into an incident and give immediate evidence to a case. Heather Ann Myers wrote about a yearlong investigational study of body cameras for law enforcement and said, “The findings suggest more than a 50 percent reduction in the total number of incidents involving use of force.” In this investigation conducted by Chief Tony Farrar, it is clear that body cameras not only traduced the number of occasions where force was used, but also made these situations more clear, in giving video and audio for every situation. In the article “Police Body Cameras: What are the Pros and Cons?” Chuck Wexler, executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum said, “There are certainly benefits . . . in documenting encounters with the public. It provides the context of what happened.” Wexler noticed the benefit of having these cameras and their video at their disposal as well. These cameras help add to the police officers accountability by reinforcing their stories, or in some cases, denying them completely and help eliminate forceful officers from the…

    • 804 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Even though some people believe police officers shouldn’t wear body cameras, I believe they should because it decreases violence between the officer and respondent,it makes the street safer, and it provides valuable evidence in obtaining accurate witnesses and victim statements. I Believe Police Officers Should Wear Body Cameras Because It Prevents Violence Between Police and Respondents and Will Make The Streets Safer. Body Cameras Will Make The Streets Safer In Places Where Body Cameras Have Been Used Police are More Cautious about The Way They Doing Their Job ”As The Author Quote”. My Evidence Supports My Big Argument Because In Places Where Body Cameras Have Been Used The Use of Force Has Been Positive and There Has Been Less Killing.…

    • 569 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Times outlines the major concerns surrounding the use of police body cameras. The article stresses two of the major scrutinies, privacy and the lack of official policy. With regard to issues over privacy, especially in cases involving domestic violence or rape victims, many worry the body cameras will not be used for their intended purpose; to capture events from an officers point of view. One Police Chief from Grand Junction, Colorado, John Cramper, remains torn. He wants citizens to feel free to talk to his officers as a trusted confidant and fears people will not be as open while being recorded on camera. Cramper, among other experts on the issue, strongly suggests that victims and witnesses should only be filmed with their explicit consent. Another notable skeptic, Missouri state Rep. Jeff Roorda, with regard to dashboard cameras states, “Instead of the cameras being there to protect officers, they get disciplined for petty stuff constantly…” Another legitimate concern expressed in the article is the issue concerning the lack of policy. “Faced with the challenge of striking a balance between transparency and privacy for citizens U.S. law enforcement agencies have not adopted a uniform policy for body cameras…” The article cites a recent federal survey of 63 law enforcement agencies across the country implemented the use of body cameras in the police force. The report states that nearly a third of these agencies have no…

    • 819 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Officers will have to notify the public whenever an officer is filming, but exceptions will be made for non-uniformed police officers involved in Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) raids. It is especially important the body cameras are not to be used to secretly gather information without warning based on the First Amendment, that protects freedom of speech, associations, and religions. Playing police body cameras continuously could also improve the public’s view of policing by showing the human side of police officers. “Sitting in a station house or patrol car shooting the breeze, getting to know each other as humans, discussing precinct politics, etc. We have some sympathy for police on this.”…

    • 2489 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    There have been many complaints about if body cameras on police officers will work or not. There are two people that have different opinions that other people that think body cameras will stop police brutality against police officers. William N. Grigg, and Joshua Krause these people think body cameras on police officers will not work, and will not stop or decrease the violence from police officers. Grigg’s argument is Their arguments are that the officers from the SDPD forgot to turn on their body cameras while on duty. A crime that happened in April, Officer Neal Browder fatally shot a 31-year-old man named Fridoon Zalbeg Rawshannehad, who had been suspected of carrying a knife. After the shooting, no weapon was found, although Rawshannehad was carrying what has been described as “a shiny looking object.”(San Diego Cops…

    • 839 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Police Body Cameras Essay

    • 570 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In the article posted by Henry Gass in The Christian Science Monitor in where a police officer killed a guy after the suspect shot him, the body cameras saved the police officer’s job by giving evidence of the cause of the actions. There’s concern about the privacy that body cameras can violate while entering to private property, but when it comes to matter of justice this isn’t an strong enough argument to keep the body cameras off the uniforms. This proves that cameras can help the police regain the trust they have lost with the recent cases and videos of policemen using excessive force against black teens and adults. “The notion that body camera footage could help exonerate police officers of crimes and improve their reputation in the eyes of the community.” (Gass) Videos on the Internet of policemen using exacerbated force over black kids and it is evident that something is not working. Police cameras are a must.…

    • 570 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Police Reform

    • 1214 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Policing have become a major concern today in the United States. The citizens of the United States confidence and trust in policing of the police are at the lowest point since the Rodney King beating. Many Americans still report confidence in the police, however an unprecedented number of Americans also report no or very little confidence in policing. Throughout history poor police/community relations in minority and low-income neighborhoods has documented. It has been exacerbated by egregious acts of misconduct, some of which have been captured on video and shared on social media. Many people such as activists, politicians, and police officials themselves have called for better education and equipment, from de-escalation training to body-worn…

    • 1214 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays