Should Police Officers Wear Body Cameras Essay

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Should police officers wear body cameras? In the case of Officer David Muniz, body camera footage shows the Cleveland police officer acting heroically, trying to calm down a violent and suicidal man even after the man shot and wounded Muniz. Theodore Johnson, a 64-year-old with a long criminal record including a murder charge, had been threatening his wife and landlord with a gun. As Muniz turns makes his way up to the apartment, Johnson fires at him twice from the top of the stairway. One shot strikes Muniz in the chest. Incredibly, Muniz not only survives the shooting but stays in the apartment and tries to save the man who just tried to kill him. Body cameras can help reinstate trust between the community and the police force. For decades …show more content…

According to interviewed police officers, once members of the public were notified that they were being filmed, “even drunk or agitated people tended to become more polite.” As a result of these behavioral changes, “police departments saw a nearly 90 percent decrease in complaints against officers since body cameras have been introduced into the communities.” The use of body cameras should be able to reduce the complaints and potentially help to nourish a culture of more respectful interactions between police and the public. “Body cameras should, in turn, be expected to lead to greater public engagement with police officers and ultimately to improved public safety.” Complaints of police misconduct usually begin with a written or oral statement by a person claiming that one or more officers engaged in conduct that breaches the law or policies of the department. “Officers and other witnesses then give their own statements of the incidence, video footage, unlike the memory of a human being, does not become less accurate over time.” In addition, many complaints are currently resolved only by making a credibility determination between the complainant and one or more of the officers involved. “By objectively recording events as they transpire, body cameras could help investigators make even more accurate findings.” These finding can help maintain the integrity of the officer being accused and the police

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