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Police Officers Should be Required to Wear Body Cameras

Do you ever wonder if conflicts between police officers and civilians would have changed if it

was actual footage of the conflicts between them?...In a scenario on the north side of Georgia had all their

officers with body cameras so when there was any situation with any citizens they can know what

actually happened at the scene. Helping with court cases having them not take so much time out the year

just to convict a suspect or find out if he guilty or innocent. Meanwhile on the south the officers has no

bodied cameras and is having all this trouble with citizens and in court cases it takes them a long time to

prosecute a suspect on what they have done or what they have not done.

In March, seven officers were arrested for abusing their power. In April, the Justice Department

placed the city under a consent decree aimed at reforming the city’s policing practices a result of the civil

rights investigation that followed the death of Freddie Gray in 2015. The city has planned public forums

next week to select an independent monitor for the decree, which will pour millions of dollars into

improving city law enforcement. Body cameras being added to the officers uniforms is helping better the

conflicts between police and citizens, having the right evidence to solve cases, and help make a better

environment so that a lot of crazy things won’t happen with people and police officers. “We have long

supported the use of police body cameras to help identify police misconduct, but such footage is

meaningless if prosecutors continue to rely on these officers, especially if they do so without disclosing

their bad acts”. Having the body cameras will hold officers accountable for how they react in situations

with public citizens. Police officers should be required to wear body cameras because it helps

decrease the negative conflict between police officers and public citizens, helps hold police officers

accountable for their actions, and they can help with evidence in court cases.

The study published in the Journal of Experimental Criminology informed that police officers

were more cautious and risk averse when wearing body cameras. Authors, Justin Ready and Jacob Young

suggest that the reason that officers who wear cameras have made fewer arrests and conducted fewer stop

and frisks was because they thought more carefully when approaching situations with public citizens.

The researchers note that a possible reason why officers with cameras wrote more citations was because
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they were worried they would be put on suspension for not issuing a citation to a public citizen when they

have violated an order or a traffic law. “Police executives may support new technology that brings greater

accountability and less civil liability, but line officers focus on how it may limit their use of discretion in

the field,” the authors Justin Ready and Jacob Young state (Kelsh 2015). Officers who did not wear body

cameras applied more stop and frisks and made more arrests than officers who wore the video cameras.

Officers that didn’t wear cameras performed 9.8% more stop and frisks and made 6.9% more arrests than

those that wore body cameras.

In San Diego, there was a report on cops to see if wearing body cameras decrease the use of force

and yes, it showed that wearing body cameras has a positive impacted between citizens and officers. In

the report showed that “high-level use of force, such as physical takedowns and using Tasers, chemical

agents or weapons, is down 16.4 percent. Low-level use of force, such as physical strength, controlled

holds and Taser warnings, is up 25.3 percent” (Garrick 2017). “More serious allegations related to

criminal behavior, discrimination, force and racial or ethnic slurs are down 47.4 percent, while allegations

related to conduct, courtesy, procedure and service are down 40.4 percent” (Garrick 2017). Data from San

Diego nine pages paper report creates an eye opener for a new solution towards the negative conflicts

between officers and citizens creating a better way of living life.

Democratic lawmakers Shirley Weber and Kevin McCarty announced a bill in California that

could improve officers accountability standards statewide by putting out stricter ways on how and when

officers should lethal force toward a public citizen. The legislation is aimed at making it easier to bring

cases against law enforcement. The Police Accountability and Community Protection Act would change

the current way from using force reasonable to use force necessary having officers take deadly action

“only when it is necessary to prevent things that about to happen and serious bodily injury or death” and

if, given all circumstances, there was no reasonable alternative. Shirley Weber said lawmakers must

ensure the state’s policy “stresses the importance of human life” (Charles 2018). Many policing experts

say the law may be a helpful step in society, but its not a solution for all situations. Alex Vitale, a

professor of sociology at Brooklyn College said “The mechanisms of accountability require discretion by

prosecutors and juries who typically have given police tremendous latitude in their use of force,

regardless of what the legal standard is.” (Charles 2018)

Body cameras have improved officer’s reactions in an uncomfortable situation making them

become more respectful towards public citizens (Sutherland, Ariel 2016). The killing of many people
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wanted to change the way of how officers acted so many police departments supported body cameras for

the new tool on officers uniform. The more officers was wearing them the more they knew how to act

right when dealing with any situation. Cops became more cautious because they knew they are being film

so overtime that helped with a lot of lives being on the line when dealing with police authority. See it’s

not a bad thing to have these body cameras around because public citizens and officers are becoming

more friendly with one another instead of hating each other guts, causing problems, and destroying

society.

Body camera footages are extremely helpful in court between officers and members of the public

society. On March 11, 2015 in Cleveland there was a case dealing with a suspect Theodore Johnson and

four officers. During that night shooting had occurred but this time it wasn’t the officers that had shot

first. Court cases have a long time with convicting whether a suspect is innocent or guilty when it has

been a conflict between officers and a suspect but this situation was a little different from the other court

cases. On that night the officers had arrived to Johnson’s apartment to question him. For no apparent

reason, Johnson shot Officer David Muniz. The four officers ordered Johnson to put his gun down trying

to reason with him. As they kept telling him to put the gun down, he refused and started to raise the gun

up at the other officers leading them to shoot him. Now, In court the officers had their jobs on the line this

is where the body cameras help with court cases such as this one they had their body cameras on that

night so in court the judge could see evidence on how the situation had escalated to a deadly killing of

Theodore Johnson. Even though the officers killed him body cameras are a big help in court cases

because the footages are showing the judge and jury the truth of what happens between public citizens

and officers when citizens are confronted by them. Although society may think police hate them, Officers

wearing body cameras helps out with finding the true justice citizens will need in court when fighting for

their freedom."It was a horrible situation that obviously had deadly consequences, but at least we don’t

have to be at this point questioning whether the officer was making up a story," says Professor Burke a

former Maryland police officer (Gass 2015).

Another example, In California there was a situation with a man and Officer Carlos Ramirez. As

Ramirez approached the man trying to question him about a child abused on his step son, the man started

to apply threats at the officer. Now, most situations like this end with deadly consequences. In this case

Ramirez didn’t lose his cool and act as if he was threatened by the suspect he walked back to his car and

uploaded the footage which increased public trust towards officers. “When you know you're being

watched you behave a little better. That's just human nature," said Farrar. "As an officer you act a bit

more professional, follow the rules a bit better." When the footage was released it was a eye opener for

the way police approach citizens for society having “use of force” to drop from a 88% to 60% which is a

big improvement to society and many lives (Carroll 2015). Say if the man was to take a statement to court

saying that he was assaulted by Officer Ramirez but wearing body cameras helps out with situations like

that.

Police officers should be required to wear body cameras on duty because it decreases the impacts

between officers and public citizens, helps hold policemen accountable for their actions, and they can

help with evidence in court cases. Years and years have past and officers continue to have conflicts with

civilians. Throughout those situations, society has lost a lot of trust in officers. Body cameras is a way for

the police to have better trustworthy relationships with public citizens. Wearing body cameras while

officers on duty cause them use force only when it’s right not when they always feel like they are in

danger. Unnecessary force has dropped ever since body cameras have been introduced.

Governments have become more strict with police officers ever since they have seen the way

negative stops and frisks occurred. Court cases have been taking a toll on how citizens look and treat

policemen when dealing with cop. In court, judge and jury take months to come up with a hearing that

says if they are guilty or innocent. In the end, officers are always let free and that’s where body cameras

come in. The footage that come from the body cameras will become a huge help for citizens and officers

to have true justice in court instead of not having evidence in a trial that take months after months to

prosecute an officer or a suspect on their wrong doing. Body cameras are not just help in society but it

matters because it will change the way society is acting nowadays, and the way police officers get away
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with a lot of illegal treatments towards public citizens. These cameras are not just looking out for the

officers but they are also looking out for the people who are harassed, and they help reduce the unjust

killing of innocent people. If more people in society support this new tool on a cop uniform than they

wouldn’t have to worry about if they get assaulted by a cop unnecessarily. Having video footage will be

an additional way for citizens to attain justice in the end.

Works Cited

Carroll, Rory. “California Police Use of Body Cameras Cuts Violence and Complaints.” The

Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 4 Nov. 2013,

www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/04/california-police-body-cameras-cuts-violence-

complaints-rialto.
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Charles, Safiya. “'Please Give Us Justice': New California Law Aims to Hold Police

Accountable.” The Nation, 2 May 2018, www.thenation.com/article/please-give-us-justice-new-

california-law-aims-to-hold-police-accountable/.

“Cleveland Case Shows How Body Cameras Can Help Police.” The Christian Science Monitor,

The Christian Science Monitor, 13 Oct. 2015,

www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2015/1013/Cleveland-case-shows-how-body-cameras-can-

help-police.

“Do Body Cameras Change How Police Interact with the Public?” Journalist's Resource,

Journalist Resource, 27 July 2016, journalistsresource.org/studies/government/criminal-

justice/body-cameras-police-interact-with-public.

Garrick, David. “Report: SDPD Body Cameras Reducing Misconduct, Aggressive Use of

Force.” Sandiegouniontribune.com, San Diego Union Tribune, 10 Feb. 2017,

www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/politics/sd-me-body-cameras-20170209-story.html.

Sutherland, et al. “How Police Body Cameras Can Improve Behavior, Ease Tension.” RAND

Corporation, 2 Nov. 2016, www.rand.org/blog/2016/11/how-police-body-cameras-can-improve-

behavior-ease-tension.html.