Ethical Use Of Body Cameras

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Recent high profile incidents of police brutality of which African Americans were the victims of said brutality have generated public policy demand for heightened law enforcement accountability across the United States. Among the items up for consideration, is the use of body cameras. According to a position statement from the American Civil Liberties Union, the use of body cameras would represent a “win-win” in: 1) protecting against police abuses of power and 2) the protection for police against false allegations of misconduct. This panel presentation will offer critical race theory/anthropological investigation using the concept of panopticism to study the Durham Police Department as they consider implementing body cameras for its officers.

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