Body cameraspros and cons

Another consideration is whether the police would modify their actions or whether their performance would be hindered because they know they are being recorded. Does having everything recorded cause them to act differently? And what effect do the recordings have on how the community perceives the police, for the better or worse?

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Although it may seem like the positive effects of having the police wear body cameras outweighs any adverse effects, there is another side. The cameras need to be on, and the video needs to be stored appropriately for the footage to be useful.

When it comes to body worn cameras for police, many people think they’re a great way to encourage and enforce better practices in the police force in addition to increasing accountability. A recent Pew Research Center survey revealed that 66% of officers and 93% of the public favor the use of body cameras by officers to record interactions with citizens. However, many officers have serious reservations about the use of police body cams. Here are some pros and cons of body worn cameras for police. PRO: Footage can be used as evidence This is probably one of the biggest benefits of body cameras for law enforcement — the ability to use the footage later on in a court of law if necessary. Without this footage, your case may be severely lacking, depending on what the case is about. But the fact is, footage from both police body cameras and police dash cameras can be incredibly useful in a court of law. CON: Restricted privacy There’s no secret that police body cameras can limit the privacy of both law enforcement and civilians. These cameras are usually on and running for nearly the full duration of an officer’s shift, and they will most likely capture short snippets of random bystanders. Additionally, all footage is owned by the state, so footage of any arrests made can damage the reputation of defendants. So, in large, police body cams can inhibit privacy, but it’s a small price to pay if it means better protocol enforcement by police. PRO: Violence prevention A study conducted in 2013 by the University of Cambridge discovered that both police and respondents become less likely to use violence when police wear body cameras, citing a drop in force rate by a whopping 50%. This serves as very strong evidence that more cameras ultimately mean less violence. CON: Video quality Another concern some people have about police body cams is the actual quality of the footage. While it isn’t possible for it to be perfect due to officers’ movements, lighting, and other factors, it’s likely that there could be blurs or lags in the footage, which can make it hard to properly interpret. However, this is quickly being remedied, as camera technology is consistently evolving. Ultimately, body worn cameras for police are a great way to make the streets safer for everyone. For more information on police body cams, contact 10-8 Video.

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Additional benefits of the use of body cameras include better evidence collection, enhanced officer accountability, more accurate documentation of the events, improved communication between the police and the public, and the ability to use the videos as training tools for improving police performance.

Lastly, they may not be needed. Bystander video, not body camera footage, brought widespread attention to George Floyd’s death and eventually resulted in protests across the country. A cell phone captured New York police officer Daniel Pantaleo holding Eric Garner in a chokehold.

SACS Consulting is fully aware of the pros and cons of body cameras. Please give us a call today at 330-255-1101 to learn more about ways SACS Consulting can help your police department establish proper policies regarding body cameras.

While the issue may seem simple, it is not always.  The use of body cameras is inherent with concerns, including how and when the video footage can be used. For example, should the video footage be made public? If so…when?

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.We live in an era of technology that provides access to information at the touch of a button. Our cell phones are equipped with cameras that can document anything we choose. So with all this technology at our fingertips, why aren’t more police personnel required to wear cameras?

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Video documentation can provide the answer.  Requiring officers to wear cameras allows for greater transparency on the job.

Businesses and municipal services— including fire departments, emergency medical technicians, private security firms, department stores, and construction crews — have turned increasingly to body-worn devices from a plethora of manufacturers to monitor employees for training, safety, and behavioral purposes.

Why should police wearbody cameras

One study of the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C. — one of the most extensive, most rigorous reviews of its kind — found those body cameras had no significant impact on officer use of force, on civilian complaints, on whether a case was prosecuted and other outcomes. Another study of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department found that body cameras reduced the use of force and civilian complaints only modestly.

Every year there are complaints of police officers allegedly using their power and weapons in ways that may or may not have followed correct police procedures.  There are also cases where the officers’ reports differ from the suspect’s account of what happened.

It would seem logical that police, for investigative purposes, would want to wear cameras to document their daily encounters. Perhaps body cameras recording the situation may have helped in cases like Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, or George Floyd.

There are high costs associated with storing the video footage recorded by the cameras, which can be about $15 to $99 per officer per month.