Intro- On August 9th, 2014, Michael Brown, an unarmed teenager, was shot and killed in Ferguson, Missouri, by Officer Darren Wilson. Some witnesses say that Brown was charging towards Wilson when the shots were fired. Others say that Brown never moved towards the officer. What really happened? Was Officer Wilson right to shoot Michael Brown? There is no way we could know this for sure. This incident is one of the reasons body cameras on police officers are becoming more popular. However, this raises a question: should police officers be required to wear body cameras?
Cons- There are some disadvantages to the cameras. For example, people will see the cameras and think that the officer is dangerous since they have to be …show more content…
Day to day work may become more difficult for the officers. Confidential informants may be afraid to give information to police wearing body cameras. The cameras could also lead to more police officers being accused or punished for petty troubles and political problems. Officers may not use the cameras efficiently. There is no way to know that the police won’t turn the camera off and say that the camera wasn’t working. Also, body cameras are extremely expensive. According to denverpost.com, The Denver Police Department would have to pay Taser International $6.1 million over five years for its first body camera program for officers. In addition to being so costly, the cameras are easily damaged. Who would want to pay millions of dollars for a camera that could break at any time? Also, in a police officer’s line of work, the cameras would be at even more of a risk of being damaged since the police are constantly put in dangerous situations.
Pros- Of course, there are many pros to having these cameras.They could help identify criminals. If an officer sees someone committing an illegal act but could not provide an accurate description, the camera could help the investigators piece together the
Cons- There are some disadvantages to the cameras. For example, people will see the cameras and think that the officer is dangerous since they have to be …show more content…
Day to day work may become more difficult for the officers. Confidential informants may be afraid to give information to police wearing body cameras. The cameras could also lead to more police officers being accused or punished for petty troubles and political problems. Officers may not use the cameras efficiently. There is no way to know that the police won’t turn the camera off and say that the camera wasn’t working. Also, body cameras are extremely expensive. According to denverpost.com, The Denver Police Department would have to pay Taser International $6.1 million over five years for its first body camera program for officers. In addition to being so costly, the cameras are easily damaged. Who would want to pay millions of dollars for a camera that could break at any time? Also, in a police officer’s line of work, the cameras would be at even more of a risk of being damaged since the police are constantly put in dangerous situations.
Pros- Of course, there are many pros to having these cameras.They could help identify criminals. If an officer sees someone committing an illegal act but could not provide an accurate description, the camera could help the investigators piece together the