The use of police body cameras: To be or not to be?

Police officers generally are opposed to changes, the reason being is due to the majority of times
when a situation happens everything is examined under a microscope. One of the main questions
asked after an incident is, Was that action warranted? or Was there another way it could have
been handled? or even Did the officer abuse his or her power? Body cameras will affect
police officers and their communities in many ways. There are many benefits to using body
cameras such as more reliable witness testimonies, making police officers more accountable, and
a better insight into the daily interactions of police officers. There are numerous complaints from
citizens that feel that the police wronged their family members or other citizens of the
community. Sometimes these complaints are warranted and other times they are unfounded or
even fabricated. The use of police cameras can reduce complaints from civilians and can verify
or discredit these complaints. Not all are in favor of body cameras because some feel that it could
be an invasion of privacy and that it could cause more distrust in the community or that it cost
too much money. Does the end justify these worries or objections? This research paper will
prove that there are a lot of benefits for the use of body cameras.
A More Just System
In a way body cameras can prevent injustices against citizens. In every job type there is
always a person that has bad intentions or simply does not perform their job correctly. Having a
camera on all officers will make obvious if these things really happen on a daily basis. According
to a recent news article, Missouri representative Courtney Curtis is fighting for cops to wear
body cameras in order to hold them accountable (Fieldstadt, 2014). The video will show how
incidents escalated. Cleveland Councilman Zack Reed further states that cameras wouldn't only

encourage police officers to act lawfully, but also show the public that the majority of police
officers are doing "their job properly every single day. (Fieldstadt, 2014)"
Improving conduct and decreasing complaints
Body cameras may also decrease use of force incidents. Chief William Tony Farrar of
the Rialto police department, Dr. Barak Ariel, and Dr. Alex Sutherland of the Criminology
Institute at the University of Cambridge investigated the measurable benefits of using body
cameras on police force. In this community officers carry tasers weapons that have small
cameras. The study began in February 2012 and the first years results were drastic. Even though
only half of the randomly assigned police officers wore body cameras, there was an 88 percent
decrease in the number of complaints filed against officers. In an article from the New York
Times, Rialtos police officers also used force nearly 60 percent less often in 25 instances,
compared with 61. When force was used, it was twice as likely to have been applied by the
officers who werent wearing cameras during that shift, the study found(Stross, 2013).
Although I believe that it will be different results for different departments. The reason being is
because not all cities, counties or town are the same. Police deal with only 10 percent of the
population, which are the people that commit crimes constantly. Therefore, the use of force may
be the same in different localities because crime is very high in that particular location. The
people that are committing crimes are going to act the same way even with the camera working. I
read an article and saw a video of an officer that had 3 justifiable use of forces in a month. The
officer was told that he will be disciplined if it happens again in a short period of time. A week
later the officer is being shot at as the video shows. The officers had many opportunities to draw
the service weapon and he did not. The same officer that had been in another shooting was shot
to death by the individual.

Victims: Were they innocent or guilty?

A Missouri teenager, Michael Brown, was fatally shot by Officer Darren Warren. Some say that
Browns hands were up while others say that Brown was combative and still others say that
Warren was aggressive according to Fieldstadts news article (2014). The witness testimony
varies.
In a similar case, 12 year old Tamir Rice was fatally shot in Cleveland by an officer claiming that
Rice has a pellet gun that looked like a real gun. According to a recent report A body camera
would have shed additional light on the shooting of Tamir, who police said reached for a pellet
gun that looked real(Fieldstadt,2014).
Teachable moments
As a field training officer, there are moments where we teach rookie officers on the street. But,
there are some instances when we need to teach them what to do before they are in the situation.
Using body cameras is a way to teach new and experienced officers or to critique their own
performance. Reed said a firsthand video recording of the incident would have provided "the
opportunity to have a teaching moment." Reviewing a tape might help police determine, "maybe
we can do something different," which might just "save the next 12-year-old,"(Fieldstadt, 2014).
Body Cameras will not be Perfect
Body cameras are not perfect, and this will not be the cure all because there are still many issues
with the use of body cameras. One issue is that body cameras can be a safety issue for officers.
The officer could second guess himself because of a body camera. It may not seem like a bad
thing; however, it takes an officer a split second to make a decision. It takes a police officer a
second to pull his gun, and that is reaction time after a gun has been pulled on him. Imagine that

same officer now letting that split second run out because he is second guessing himself. That
split second decision that was not made may take the officers life or maybe yours. The second
issue is that body cameras are not perfect because they dont show every angle. The majority of
time officers are reacting to an action that has occurred. The camera may not always see what the
officer is observing and it definitely does not display what the officer is feeling. Third, some feel
that body cameras can be an invasion of privacy and it would be difficult to adhere to privacy
rights. According to a recent Department of Justice report, the Police Executive Research
Forum believes that requiring officers to record every encounter with the public would
sometimes undermine community members' privacy rights and damage important policecommunity relationships (Fieldstadt, 2014)." Police officers enter citizens private domains and
their private conversations, relationships and issues would be publicized for all to see and hear.
Additionally, a citizen might be hesitant to call the police because they do not want everyone in
their business. On top of police-civilian interactions, the courts does not have established
guidelines on recording incidents on body cameras, so police officers will have to consider
consent, and the American Civil Liberties Union asserts that officers should record all
interactions with the public so when a situation does go south, theres an impeachable record of
it.(Fieldstadt, 2014)
In conclusion, the research shows that there are many benefits to using body cameras.
The benefits include more accountability for police officers, more reliable witness testimony
from civilians, and teaching material for trainees and veteran officers. The benefits do not stop
there because if the community sees the police departments actively listening to the community
and making the officers more accountable, perhaps there will begin to be a cooperative
relationship built between the community and the police.

References
Farrar, William, Dr. Barak Ariel, and Dr. Alex Sutherland. "SELF-AWARENESS TO BEING
WATCHED AND SOCIALLY-DESIRABLE BEHAVIOR: A FIELD EXPERIMENT ON THE
EFFECT OF BODY-WORN CAMERAS ON POLICE USE-OFFORCE." Police Foundation.
Institute of Crimonology at the University of Cambridge, 1 Jan. 2012. Web. 1 Apr. 2015.

Fieldstadt, Elisha. "Should Every Police Officer Be Outfitted With a Body Camera?"NBCNews.com.
NBC, 1 Nov. 2014. Web. 24 Mar. 2015. <http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/michael-brownshooting/should-every-police-officer-be-outfitted-body-camera-n256881>.
Stross, Randall. "Wearing a Badge, and a Video Camera." The New York Times. The New York
Times, 6 Apr. 2013. Web. 8 Apr. 2015.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/07/business/wearable-video-cameras-for-policeofficers.html>.