Technological Era in Policing The dispute of police body cameras truly hit the media hard this week. Blasting from the headlines all citizens were aware that Michael Brown was lethally shot in Ferguson, Missouri. This prompted officers to become fortified with body cameras. This technologically progressive world that we live in today has shaped a world of tweeting, posting and uploading. It’s about time that police departments take advantage of the tools accessible to them, especially with the advancement of equipment. The move forward in technology will help to alleviate speculation on any misconduct perpetrated. There now will be hard honest evidence of any crime committed against a police officer.
Does the body camera decline police brutality? Are body cameras more effective in urban or rural areas? Could these cameras decline corruption in policing? These are a few of countless questions that might be brought up about this newly relevant issue. Without even undertaking exploration on this subject you could question a sample of individuals these burning questions. I think that they would agree that it is a necessary evil when dealing with criminals. It’s logical to assume that your every move is being documented and you are theoretically always being “watched”, in saying that one will in turn do their career to the best of their capabilities. Its elementary science that the independent variable being the camera. The dependent variable is the logged evidence which is
Over the last few years there has been much controversy leading up to the need for law enforcement officers to wear body cameras. This is not only for citizens but also for the officers’ protection. With so much debate regarding police brutality and excessive force body cameras are quickly on the rise. New technology is giving police on a state and federal level a new opportunity to cut back on some of the allegations and negativity we have seen in the last few years. On the other hand it is giving citizens all over the country the safety they should feel when being approached by law enforcement. Our technology has improved significantly over the years and this seems to be something that will benefit everyone.
The social media and the public might want police body cam footage release but sometimes it might be to graphic or controversial. Police body cameras have been a topic since the incident with Michael Brown in august of 2014. Police shot and killed an unarmed individual in ferguson, MO, leading to many people wanting cameras on police. Whether the cameras are a good idea or not this paper will explore the facts and sides of police body cameras. Overall body cameras should be required Because they can save the lives of the innocent, keep innocent people from going to jail, and can help a case as more evidence.
Across the country a growing number of legislative departments have been debating about the pros and cons of police body cameras. This paper will further explore benefits, as well as the downfalls of using such devices. This paper will also look at specific cases and examine whether or not body cameras were helpful in various situations. It will examine if they were a deterrent in cases dealing with police brutality and domestic violence. It also looks at how they could be misused and assisting some officers in covering up their corrupt behavior.
Within recent years there has been much controversy surrounding police officers and whether or not they should be wearing body cameras to document their everyday interactions with the public. While the use of body cameras may seem to invade the public or police privacy. Police-worn body cameras will be beneficial to law enforcement and civilians all over the world. Police must be equipped with body cameras to alleviate any doubt in the effectiveness of officers. Law enforcement worn body cameras would enhance the trust of the public by keeping both the officers and the citizens accountable for their actions, providing evidence, and helping protect them from false accusations, while protecting privacy
First advantage in law enforcement agents wearing body cameras is to hold the officers accountable. “Holding the officers accountable, will ensure the officer adheres to policies and procedures during an encounter with victims and suspects.” Body-worn cameras are poised to help boost accountability for law enforcement and citizens and, unlike many new police technologies, the cameras share preliminary support from both law enforcement and social justice groups. Successful implementation of the cameras will require careful policies that respect and protect both the police and the public.
Body cameras in policing are still new, but more and more agencies are beginning to implement this technology into their line of work. At first police officers were very hesitant to wear these body cameras because they were afraid they would infringe themselves and give away their own privacy. Later, as body cameras were beginning to see more use in the work place, officers began to realize that these very own body cameras that they once thought would only cause themselves harm would actual prove to be useful in a variety of situations. Some of these situations can be citizen complaints, to even backing up an officers use of force. Body cameras can be the one sole thing that can give
Body cameras are proven to make policemen act better while they’re are on duty. “Police officers "tend to behave a little better"(Kon, Body Cameras for Police Officers). if they know their behavior is being recorded on camera” stated author Tsin Yen Kon. Police will act better cause they know they are being “watched”. Just like when a student has a parent to sit in their class, they act very well, police do the same. Police will also act right, because they don’t want to lose their jobs or get fired because some careless mistake that they made while on camera. “When police officers are acutely aware that their behavior is being monitored (because they turn on the cameras), and when officers tell citizens that the cameras are recording their behavior, everyone behaves better” (Knickerbocker). Brad Knickerbocker, the author, explains how both sides of the camera, police, and criminal will have an effect on their behavior because they know that they are being watched, and recorded. When people know they are being watched, it is like they get scared, because they don't want anything to be used against them. Although cameras will make police act better, people will still think that police brutality will still happen.
The most beneficial way to work with the community is by having body cameras. According to Issues and Controversies, President Obama said, “the safer it is for cops, the more effectively they can do their jobs, the more cooperation there’s going to be, the more likely those communities are to be safe” (Police Body Cameras). Due to, the power of authority police officers is mistreating and killing the civilian. As a result, the community feels unsafe and fears police officers. For this reason, implementing body cameras on police officers is crucial for safety, evidentiary purpose, and liability.
The familiarity of such cases is evidence to believe that one case or even many cases of the same caliber did not prompt the decision to fund police body cameras alone but a more influential reason can explain the decision for body cameras. A state of field assessment conducted by the police reform revealed that various forms of technology is being adapted or developed for law enforcement purposes, and there are many specific technologies, both current and emerging, that can benefit law enforcement. The theory that can best explain new emerging technologies that has power to influence political decisions can best be explained by the new media
Does the body camera decrease police brutality? Are body cameras more effective in urban or rural areas? Could these cameras decrease corruption in policing? These are a few of many questions that could be brought up about this newly relevant issue. Without even doing research on this topic you could ask a sample of people these burning questions. I think that they would agree that it is a necessary evil when dealing with criminals. It’s logical to assume that your every move is being recorded and you are technically always being “watched”, in saying that one will in turn do their job to the best of their abilities. Its basic science that the independent variable being the camera. The dependent variable is the recorded evidence which is based off of two principles. One is that you can
Interesting question! I strongly believe that every police officer has its own mind whether it's good intentions or bad. At the end of the day a unions job is to protect all their employees jobs. Since there is a high rate of police brutality going on, I believe that every police department should invest into body cameras so that every officers actions can be justified. Such as, punishment for brutal behavior, legitimate complaints by the citizens and misunderstandings throughout the media. If body cameras are not assigned to police officers, police brutality will continue while being protected by the unions and it will be impossible to bring officers to justice. I strongly believe that the only time a union should interact officers Is
The ability to provide another perspective on events can help to protect both the public and police officers. Benefits of transparency and accountability is expected to deter police officers from using excessive force. Body-worn cameras provide hindsight into events as they occur it, can either have a positive effect or negative effect on relationships between police officers and the community they serve. Problem
Police brutality of minorities has brought us as a nation to discuss whether law enforcement should be equipped with body-worn cameras. As we are aware technology today has advanced exponentially - far beyond our imaginations cellphones and other electronics devices are equipped with the most awesome digital features. These devices provide citizens the capability to record anything they desire capturing the good bad and ugly including police misconduct. Last year alone, 120 million smart phones were sold in the U.S. (Hughes, 2014). Over the past years bystanders have caught vicious killings and mistreatment of civilians by police offices. Numerous accounts of their actions have demonstrated racial profiling, injustice, recklessness, inappropriate behavior and lack of sensitivity of the needs of the community resulting in division and mistrust between some communities and law enforcement agencies. As a result these devices have called us to question the legitimacies of Law Enforcements Agencies. If body-worn cameras are implemented and mandated for police officers when interacting with the public, it would be beneficial for both parties. This paper will focus on the common use of these devices and discuss their most important objectives such as: reducing police excess-use-of force, mendacious complaints against police officers, increasing prosecution rates due to evidence captured by the police and enhancing police legitimacy and transparency. Throughout the paper I will
In today’s world, Law Enforcement polices society twenty-four hours a day seven days a week. Society expects “… the police to serve their community and discharge their legal authority within the boundaries of the law” (Ross, 382). Who polices the very people society had entrusted with such legal power over them? In the world of technology there is a product that is moving to the forefront to answer this question. Body cameras, this technology if used will allow rarely seen interactions between police and society for good or bad on both sides. It is not a secret to the world that there are good police and there bad police patrolling society.
For this week’s topic on technology in law enforcement, I chose to write about body-worn cameras for police officers. Many law enforcement agencies have already implemented the use of body-worn cameras due to the controversial discussions about police officers recently. A large majority of the citizens believe these cameras are a good idea, while some argue against it. One of the benefits of requiring officers to have these cameras on while on duty is that it assists in supporting police accountability by providing an actual recording of the interaction between officers and the public. This is evidence that is usually unattainable in situations and shows what the officer said or done and what the person ( criminal, suspect, etc.) has said or