Police Body Cameras Body cameras are not only for the benefit of police but for civilians aswell.

Glossary

  • Allegation: a claim or assertion that someone has done something illegal or wrong, typically one made without proof.
  • Prosecution: the institution and conducting of legal proceedings against someone in respect of a criminal charge.
  • Libertarians: an adherent of libertarianism. (Liberal: a person who believes in the doctrine of free will.)
  • Expansion: the action of becoming larger or more extensive.
  • Suffered: experience or be subjected to (something bad or unpleasant).
  • Preliminary: denoting an action or event preceding or done in preparation for something fuller or more important.
  • transparency : the condition of being transparent. (Transparent: easy to perceive or detect)
  • Expansion: the action of becoming larger or more extensive.

Can the body cameras reveal personal information?

One big common confusion is that civilians believe the cameras are on during the whole officers shift and that ways to their house, private info like addresses, car plates, etc will be slowly given to the public over time. However the cameras are only able to turn on after certain requirements are met. First in source 2 it states that, “Privacy will not be infringed on during interactions with civilians, due to the camera only activating under certain circumstances” (Newsmax). This is important for example if a cop is suspicious of you and has started to follow you on the road or wherever the camera will not turn on until the cop has chosen to pursue the subject not giving away any personal routes to homes or private places. Allowing the cameras to be automatically activated with the police car. Second source 2 explains how that actions will be accounted for with proof of video, “Police officers would be more accurately accountable for their actions” (Newsmax). The cameras are also effective due to the ability that if police do use excessive force, wrong reasons to arrest someone, and ways the officer escalates certain situations can be used against that officer in court holding them at a level where they too have to fix the way they interact with civilians.

What is being done to implement these cameras?

Police body cameras might not be the solution everyone agrees with and it may not be cheap, but with big sources of power in states like the mayor and police chief adding classes for learning how to use these cameras and polices that if the police don't turn on the cameras during an encounter they will be held responsible and maybe even terminated. For police to take these cameras seriously, “The Mayor implemented the cameras along with a lot of new hired police officers to help try to stop the rate of homicides and shootings” (Lee). With the mayor of Atlanta getting rid of some corrupt officers and getting new fresh staff that have been through the classes for these cameras he hopes to better race relations in Atlanta. Well also creating a better image of the officers. Second, in one of the most crime vibrant cities they are also taking an initiative to these cameras, “Chicago is implementing police body cameras a year earlier with classes for police to learn to use them.. As well as hopefully fixing the distrust between police and civilians” (Lee). In Chicago specifically police and civilians are not on good terms at all and with body cameras refining the way the police officers act in not threatening situations can help civilians not be on alert all the time with police further bettering the way the community feels toward law enforcement.

Police body cameras improve the interactions and relations for the police force and civilians because the footage after being released to the public can put the dangerous and not dangerous situations in perspective for people and judges. “Body camera footage could help free police officers of crimes and improve their reputation in the eyes of the community” (Source 1). With body cameras police can easily review footage to prove if civilians are making true or false claims against police officers and vis versa. Also, stated in source 1, “The camera’s also can improve the way civilians act if they know they are being recorded” (Source 1). If someone knows they are being monitored majority of people will not try to make the situation worse for themselves acting civil

How safe is the video and audio from being messed with by police?

With lots of concerns about how do we know what footage police could keep from us/mess with? It's quite an easy answer every encounter both footage and audio is transferred instantly to a hub in the police car which is shared to online database, where only police chiefs and high ranked officers are allowed to view this footage not edit or cut any pieces of evidence out. “The video automatically uploads to a docking station and management system, where it can be easily accessed for review in a cloud of data” (PR Newswire). As explained before the data is safely stored on an online database where no regular police officers are able to delete or edit evidence from recorded encounters. “Videos on the cloud are secure and cannot be edited” (PR Newswire). On this online database once the videos are downloaded to the cloud no options are given for any user to edit any choosen file of evidence making it also even more secure than classic police files.

What are some other big benefits to these body cameras?

As well as the basic advantages cameras have some hidden or unusual pros are also important for police work. The camera's effect way officers act, as well as civilians, “Officers not wearing cameras were twice as likely to use force in situations, because of no reason to think about their actions beyond a basic level. There is no camera watching them or fear for mistakes” (Tsin). If you are being recorded are you not more likely to careful with your actions not to dig a deeper hole for yourself in that encounter. After a study has shown that basic encounters with civilians police have had an easier time, less likely to resort to force or even without getting upset at civilians. Second as well as active stops and police work the camera also helps capture events as they already have taken place,“Helps secure difficult crime scenes, if family members or friends see a loved one in the crime scene they might want to go and see them. If a police officer has a camera it might help keep emotions down in crowds” (Tsin). Police showing up to a crime scene may not remember every detail and specific important things in crime scenes giving police unlimited times to review footage and gather information about a killer, thief, etc. Also with a crime scene usually involving a dead person(s) it could be emotional for family, friends, acquaintance, etc. the police having the camera could give them an ability to suppress the family, friends, or acquaintance from acting irrationally if they know a officer(s) have them on camera.

Credits:

Created with images by WDnetStudio - "rotary camera monitoring safety" • conner395 - "Norfolk Police Virginia USA" • bp6316 - "Police Chief Bergamine" • warpafx - "SEPTA Police Chief Tom Nestel"

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