The citizens of the United States have been debating whether the police should wear body cameras. Recently this debate has gotten a lot more prevalent after the unjust deaths of an unarmed teen in Ferguson, Missouri , and the death of Eric Garner in New York City. The United States death by police rate is by far higher than any other country, “ In 2011 police killed six people in Australia, two in England, six in Germany, and according to an FBI count, 404 in the United States.” (Stanley 2). Body cameras are small compact cameras that police would have to wear in order for law enforcement agencies to see what exactly occurred if there was a problem. Body cameras are controversial because many believe that they invade privacy and the victims
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With the right regulations body cameras will be very beneficial. Body cameras are necessary because they provide justice for victims of police misconduct, help police officers, and reduce misconduct. Body cameras help provide justice for the victims of police misconduct. Multiple police officers have taken advantage of their power and abused citizens. The Wall Street Journal reports that, “ Police commissioner William Bratton placed a detective on desk duty and stripped him of his badge, gun, and assignment after he was caught on cellphone video berating a taxi driver in expletive -filled, xenophobic tirade.” (Morales). This is an exact example of why body cameras are needed. No one deserves to be berated by a police officer, if there are body cameras, the police will most likely receive a punishment . Moreover, victims of dirty police will now get justice for their unjust treatment. ”Video had played a particularly large role in complaints of improper or excessive use of force. The percentage of substantiate force complaints with video evidence rose to …show more content…
When the body cameras were first introduced claims of police misconduct dropped significantly. Rhonda Swan states, “ In the first year after Rialto Calif., police started wearing body cameras, the use of force by officers declined almost 60 percent, and citizen complaints against police fell 88 percent.” When police are watched they may feel as though they must be on their best behavior because if they make a unacceptable move, or use excessive force their higher ups will find out. New England College says that there is “ a sense of accountability for both police officers and the citizens they interact with. If encounters are being recorded for future review- and potential evidence both sides are more likely to put on their best behavior, proponents say.” The use of the cameras causes the corrupt police to act better, and it also causes citizens to behave so that there is a smaller chance of a bad encounter with officers. There is no way to argue the fact that wearing body cameras significantly reduces misconduct, and there are many studies that show it. Another study done by the University of Cambridge showed that “when police wear body… use of force dropped by more than 50%.” There is no way to argue facts, body cameras are a must, they put more pressure on the police to behave justly, in turn the rate of misconduct significantly
With the right regulations body cameras will be very beneficial. Body cameras are necessary because they provide justice for victims of police misconduct, help police officers, and reduce misconduct. Body cameras help provide justice for the victims of police misconduct. Multiple police officers have taken advantage of their power and abused citizens. The Wall Street Journal reports that, “ Police commissioner William Bratton placed a detective on desk duty and stripped him of his badge, gun, and assignment after he was caught on cellphone video berating a taxi driver in expletive -filled, xenophobic tirade.” (Morales). This is an exact example of why body cameras are needed. No one deserves to be berated by a police officer, if there are body cameras, the police will most likely receive a punishment . Moreover, victims of dirty police will now get justice for their unjust treatment. ”Video had played a particularly large role in complaints of improper or excessive use of force. The percentage of substantiate force complaints with video evidence rose to …show more content…
When the body cameras were first introduced claims of police misconduct dropped significantly. Rhonda Swan states, “ In the first year after Rialto Calif., police started wearing body cameras, the use of force by officers declined almost 60 percent, and citizen complaints against police fell 88 percent.” When police are watched they may feel as though they must be on their best behavior because if they make a unacceptable move, or use excessive force their higher ups will find out. New England College says that there is “ a sense of accountability for both police officers and the citizens they interact with. If encounters are being recorded for future review- and potential evidence both sides are more likely to put on their best behavior, proponents say.” The use of the cameras causes the corrupt police to act better, and it also causes citizens to behave so that there is a smaller chance of a bad encounter with officers. There is no way to argue the fact that wearing body cameras significantly reduces misconduct, and there are many studies that show it. Another study done by the University of Cambridge showed that “when police wear body… use of force dropped by more than 50%.” There is no way to argue facts, body cameras are a must, they put more pressure on the police to behave justly, in turn the rate of misconduct significantly