Body Cameras In Law Enforcement

Since the forming of the first watchmen in 1635, law enforcement in the United States has played a crucial role in the forming of municipalities and the protection of citizens (National Law Enforcement Memorial, 2014). Law enforcement has seen many changes since induction, particularly due to necessity and advances in technology. Officers have gone from once strictly foot patrol to motor vehicles, from largely radio based information to in vehicle computers, and from revolvers to semi-automatic handguns. These changes, largely made for citizen and law enforcement safety have played an important role in the forming of current law enforcement standards. Today, law enforcement is once again in an era of change brought by technology and citizens demands for transparency. Once limited to police vehicles, cameras can now be mounted on the bodies of all officers recording all police incidents. Police body cameras must be …show more content…
The fact the cameras are visible to the citizens will hopefully encourage appropriate behavior, the citizens knowing every action is recorded for possible later review. In a study conducted in 2012 known as the “Rialto Study” half of the Rialto police departments officers were randomly selected to wear body cameras. The results showed shifts without body cameras experienced twice as many use of force incidents as shifts with cameras (Harvard Law Review, 2015). These results can be seen as civilians and officers acting appropriately knowing the camera is recording the interaction. Another positive outcome of body cameras will be officers’ protection from false accusations. False accusations damage both officer moral and also hurt the city who now have to remove an officer from the streets until the accusation can be fully investigated. With the ability to review video within hours of the interaction supervisors can quickly remedy the accusation and take the appropriate