What Are The Pros And Cons Of Body Cameras

In recent years there has been a lot of uproar about police abuse of power, racial profiling and how the courts side with law enforcement. With the introduction of BWC’s (body-worn cameras) the problem of questionable police actions is starting to come to a close. Body cameras are already starting to show their potential in situations like in Hampshire, UK when an officer’s body camera captured a young man saying he would kill the officer’s children and bite off his nose (Marks Web. 23). BWC’s are slowly being integrated into police departments around the world and are showing positive data in proving the innocents of officers and how situations are really happening along with earning the approval of many, from the public to attorneys even

all the way to the presidency.
Wearing body cameras are useful and important in showing what actually happens in police encounters, therefor eliminating the he said she said debate. The body-worn cameras will help minimize discrepancies between what the police officer says and with what the suspect says. According to Richard Beary, President of the International Association of Chiefs of Police “There are a lot of false accusations, and the videos prove the officers right about 99 percent of the time” (Anastasia and Majerol). Those who oppose using body-worn cameras say that it will cost too much for the equipment and storage, however, in the long run this will be cheaper than the costs of potential lawsuits, wrongful convictions and failed convictions. To help law enforcement agencies to integrate BWC’s the government hopes to provide many departments with nearly $20 million (Mark Web. 28).
There have been several studies regarding the effectiveness of body cameras. One study done by the President’s Task Force of the 21st Century Policing last March show that using body-worn cameras result in less use force by the police and less complaints. According to the Task Force “they found that the officers wearing the cameras had 87.5 percent fewer incidents of use of force and 59 percent fewer complaints than the officers not wearing the cameras” (Henry Gass Staff Web. 28). The majority of the public seems to favor the use of body-worn cameras. They want to know that the police are doing their job correctly and treating the public fairly. A new nationwide poll shows nearly 9 out of 10 people (89%) support equipping officers with body cameras. This unanimity crosses all political divides among democrats (91%) republicans (88%) and independents (90%) (Poll Shows American United in Need for Police Body Cameras).
Not only does the majority of the public favor the use of body cameras, most law enforcement agencies and the President support it as well.

Attorney General Loretta Lynch believes that BWC’s are extremely important for helping law enforcement agencies rise to the challenge of the 21st century (Mark Web. 28). President Obama wants Congress to help pay for $50,000 body cameras for police officers (Micheal Web. 28). Not only are body cameras useful for the recording of encounters, and physical evidence used in court, however Police departments using these cameras say their presence “often improves the performance of officers as well as the conduct of the community members who are recorded,” according to a publication the research forum released last year by the Justice Departments’s Office of Community Oriented Policing (Mark Web. 28).
The use of body cameras has been shown to have a positive effect on both police officers and the public. With many of the recent events that have happened and how the public sees the police use of force, the use of body-worn cameras the public opinion is slowly changing for the better as everyone sees how things are from an officer’s point of view. In the words of Bill Crane, a business consultant and political commentator, “police body cameras are expected to become as universal a policing tool as the side arm, nightstick or taser in the not-too-distant future”

(Crane).