The Pros And Cons Of Wearing Body Cameras

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Jordan Edwards was a 15 year old that was shot and killed by a police officer in Balch Springs, Texas, as the teenager’s car was driving away. Because of the body camera worn by the police officer, the police officer was fired and faced murder charges. Although many police officers worry about privacy concerns while wearing cameras, the camera could contain evidence that supports both the officer and the suspects.
Wearing body cameras is the future of our police departments. The cameras can help provide evidence in many situations. In Baltimore, a police officer’s body camera caught the police officer planting drugs. Because of the body camera, the police officer was suspended. Body cameras could cause some problems though. They could …show more content…

Decisions made by officers can be reviewed and evaluated for better success. The cameras can also be used to teach new officers what to do during some situations and to train them on how to do their job more effectively. Most police officers think that wearing cameras area a good idea, but they worry about privacy issues. What should a police officer do when they go to the restroom? What should they do when they get a personal phone call? Even though the cameras could have some privacy concerns, the film could help police officers review their actions in intense …show more content…

When police wear body cameras, they no longer have to trust the words of citizens or eyewitnesses. “In the wake of high-profile incidents in Ferguson, Staten Island, North Charleston, Baltimore, and elsewhere, law enforcement agencies across the country have rapidly adopted body-worn cameras for their officers. One of the main selling points for these cameras is their potential to provide transparency into some police interactions, and to help protect civil rights, especially in heavily policed communities of color.”(The Leadership Conference). This could speed up the court process by having accurate information about the situation. “If body cameras become standard across the nation, some of these cases will be dismissed or go uncharged when video fails to support the officer’s account or the citizen’s accounts. Others will end with a quick guilty plea because the footage will constitute overwhelming evidence. Either way, taxpayers will be spared the substantial cost of going to trial.”(Roberts). Storing the evidence is the problem. Unlike traditional evidence like bullet fragments, knives, and guns that is stored in a locked room, digital film would be be stored in a database or a hard drive that could risk being hacked at any minute. The demands for video storage are unprecedented for many police departments, which don't have enough space on servers or hard drives to store the additional data. Storage

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