Argumentative Essay On Body Cameras

Today, many questions are raised about police brutality. Numerous incidents have occurred that follow the same pattern: a police officer shoots a man and it is unclear whether the shot was justified. Body cameras are the answer. Body cameras can record police and civilian interaction, thereby providing clear evidence. Body cameras will take away the uncertainty in cases. Body cameras should be implemented because they benefit both the officers and the public.

Body cameras are small video cameras that can be attached to a police officer’s glasses or breast pocket. The Taser Axon camera records only when activated. It features a 30 second video buffer that saves video (not audio) in the 30 seconds before the officer pressed record. As blank points out, this feature is useful because it accounts for the fact that officers notice a suspicious action and then press record, so the initial action could have been missed without the 30 second buffer. Now with the 30-second buffer the camera can pick up the moment where the officer noticed something was amiss. The videos are

Studies conducted over one year by the Rialto Police Department in Rialto, California, proved that cameras help police do their job better and more efficiently. In the study done by the Rialto Police Department, officers wearing cameras used force 50% less than officers not wearing cameras (8). The fact that officers used less force proves that they performed better with the cameras. Another indicative sign that body cameras are affective is that civilian complaints are reduced drastically. The Rialto police department study also showed, that complaints were decreased by about 90% (9). Body cameras give the police officers the feeling that they are being watched and this causes them to preform better, thereby reducing civilian