Body Cameras Pros And Cons

Another negative thing these BWCs bring is an increase in government surveillance of citizens. A lot of opponents to this project have concerns over the privacy aspect of them. Not everyone wants publicly-accessible footage of their interactions with the police. It also becomes a safety issue when someone’s witness statement is publicly accessible and now a criminal who is likely out on bail can retaliate against that witness. It is also important to know that “the reality is much different, because cameras are not often easily recognizable as such, thus making these recordings largely covert and intrusive” (Lippert 115-116) especially to bystanders and witnesses. This is one reason why it should not be required for every police officer

One study done on community perceptions of BWCs found that “Consistent with their positive views of BWCs and likely related to the increasingly normative nature of video surveillance throughout society, the community members expressed relatively little concern regarding potential invasions of privacy for either police officers or citizens related to BWCs” (Crow et al. 604). Little research has been done on the topic of how the public views body cameras, though this finding is very misleading. It only surveyed two counties in Florida (possibly the worst place in the country for police misconduct) and it was done right after the media caught the attention of police violence in 2015, so of course the citizens there wanted BWC for their officers. In a country where the government has faced much scrutiny for illegal surveillance in the past, it is not a good idea to further violate the privacy of those who have not committed a crime. The body-worn cameras should only be used by the police when it is

The Harvard Law Review had an article on the pros and cons of using BWCs for police officers and it talks about the “civilizing effect” it can have on officers and it lowered the frequency that they result to using force on a suspect. They also argue that the effect can extend to civilians who know they are on camera and it can “compel highly agitated people to calm down more quickly” (Harvard Law Review 1800). This is obviously a good thing for police departments because whatever way it works, on the citizen or the officer, the “civilizing effect” leads to less confrontation which could result in no arrest of the suspect or fewer charges added on. It would also mean that officers do not have to take extra time to file a use of force report. It would not work in all bad situations, but the BWCs may be able to help de-escalate certain