Police Encounters Analysis

The relationship between the police and the people they protect has been a major topic of interest for as long as there has been a police presence in the United States (and around the world). In the United States officer involved shootings and uses of force have divided the public and police alike. On one side of the argument people complain about police having too much unchecked power. People argue that this power leads them to use excessive force in encounters with citizens (during or after someone is placed in custody). On the other side of the argument it is believed that police are doing a good job by meeting force with force when needed and that they are not overstepping any boundaries while using it. All of these arguments have led both sides to find solutions to reduce uses of force while keeping each side accountable. What both sides have brought up as a possible solution is the use of body-worn cameras by police, (also known as BWC’s) to record citizen police encounters. During this paper we will cover the following main ideas that pertain to the police use of BWC’s: public interest and views of BWC’s, privacy issues of BWC’s, police performance while using BWC’s, police opinion while using BWC’s, and data collection and management of BWC footage. Public interest …show more content…
Police performance while using body worn cameras and police opinions while using body worn cameras are very important aspects to whether or not police admin will look into them. Some questions that the administration will have about BWC’s are, “Do my officers improve their ability to fight crime? Do they deter a person in custody or a person that is being put into custody from causing a situation that requires force? Will complaints go down if they are used?” and “will my officers mind wearing body worn cameras, or will it impede their