Pros And Cons Of Body Cameras

In light of recent events, tensions amongst American communities and police officers have heightened due to the shootings of unarmed civilians and the alleged use of excessive force. These events have brought the integrity of police officers into question raising the question onto whether or not police officers should wear body cameras. This would serve to improve public relations with the local communities and provide a new source of indisputable hard evidence. Unfortunately, everything also comes with its disadvantages and while the benefits of body cameras do outweigh the negatives on paper, they may still not be enough to result in wide scale implementation. Such disadvantages include cost, as the cost of a single body camera ranges from $400 to $700 (Taser International Inc.) The reliability of these cameras may also be called into question as technological bugs are inevitable. According to research conducted by PERF and the COPS office, officers should be required to activate their cameras when responding to calls meaning that they are turned off while on duty. This may allow a police officer to tamper with evidence or to manipulate the cameras as they are in total control. Body cameras may be a potential solution for a growing problem, and while there seem to be an abundance of benefits, many drawbacks do also question the viability of such a project.