The Pros And Cons Of Body Cameras In Law Enforcement

Body cameras in law enforcement have the chance to be a great tool for uncovering the truth. All departments will encounter a situation where they wish they had video proof of what they are saying is true, but with a chance of having body cameras to their disposal a debate has been created. Do the positives that come from police officers wearing body cameras outweigh the cost and privacy issues that come with them? Research shows that with the many positives that body cameras bring, the few negatives are a big question moving forward. I grew up around police officers, and one day I will be one too. I’m fascinated by the body cameras because anything that may help a police officer in the line of duty is worth taking a look at.
Body camera is a new type of technology that can be used to get to know what actually happens when police officers come in contact with people. Jay Stanley, writer of “Police Body-Mounted Cameras: With Right Policies In Place, A Win for All” explains that body cameras are small, pager-sized cameras that clip on to an officer 's uniform or are worn as a headset, and record audio and video of the officer 's interactions with the public. Ever since the shooting on August 2014 …show more content…
Henry Gass writer of “Cleveland Case Shows How Body Cameras Can Help Police” presents an example of how four police officers from Cleveland were saved by the footage that was captured by a body camera. A grand jury decided that all of the actions taken by the officers where justifiable. This was not the first time Cleveland police officers were accused of “a pattern or practice of unreasonable and unnecessary use of force" another Cleveland officer was also found not guilty of shooting two unarmed black civilians (pars. 1, 13, 15). This kind of incident really damage’s the reputation of a police department. Having the body cameras would be a great resource for the police to have since they could show the full