Knowledge is power and given the recent heated debate about Police misconduct this is a
policy that everyone can get behind. Cameras would
allow citizens who are victims to be able to prove their claims. At the same
time, police officers that are unfairly accused could prove their innocence. According to TIME magazine a study of the Rialto, California, police
department found that the use of “officer worn cameras reduced the rate of
use-of-force incidents by 59 percent” and “utilization of the cameras led to an
87.5 percent reduction in complaints” by citizens against cops.
But this no brainer fix
doesn’t come without its issues. Obama has backed a program that began just
last month that has purchased 50,000 body-worn cameras to provide evaluations of
how well this works. I’m hoping that they will address some issues, and I won't be surprised if this quick fix quickly turns controversial before they figure it all out. First of
all, is every cop going to be recording his entire day? This would
inadvertently become mass surveillance of everyday activities of millions of
people across the nation. Police would also risk recording private moments as
they enter people’s homes, and have interactions with witnesses, bystanders,
victims, and families of victims in a variety of stressful and extreme
situations. I wouldn’t want my personal moments broadcast to the
Internet because an open records law provides public access to these
recordings.
This is not just a citizen privacy issue but also a privacy issue for the cop. What if he/she gets caught talking bad about their boss to a co-worker or they have to go to the restroom. We don’t allow our bosses to record us at work, why should they?
Alternatively, if we give them the power to switch the camera off during those times what stops a corrupt cop from keeping his/hers off during a key interaction. I don’t think it would be long before a Cop used the excuse of forgetting to turn the camera on, or that he/she thought the camera was recording, or that there was no time to make that move to turn it on in an important case.
This is not just a citizen privacy issue but also a privacy issue for the cop. What if he/she gets caught talking bad about their boss to a co-worker or they have to go to the restroom. We don’t allow our bosses to record us at work, why should they?
Alternatively, if we give them the power to switch the camera off during those times what stops a corrupt cop from keeping his/hers off during a key interaction. I don’t think it would be long before a Cop used the excuse of forgetting to turn the camera on, or that he/she thought the camera was recording, or that there was no time to make that move to turn it on in an important case.
I am for the idea, as I consider
it the checks and balances of law enforcement. I am just skeptical of how well
it will work on a grand scale.
1 comment:
While I think that Ashley makes some great points about the pros and cons of police officers being required to wear body cameras, I truly think they'll do more good than harm. One concern that was mentioned in this post was the concern about public privacy being seen all over the internet. I truly don't think the footage would be used for anything other than review by the police department and other officials. Whatever is recorded would only be used as evidence in a case that has been disputed. In this scenario, any and all recorded video would be beneficial to the officer and citizen alike.
I also understand the privacy concern for the police officers, but I think it'd be safe to assume that any time the officer is "off the clock" (at lunch, using the bathroom, etc) they would not be required to leave their cameras on. Obviously, there could be issues where the officer forgets to turn their camera back on or they don't do so on purpose- it's not a perfect system, but it's a hell of a lot better than letting police murder unarmed citizens and then lie about it to their superiors and the general public.
I also don't see this as invading the officer's privacy. Dash cams already exist and this would only be an added measure to make them more credible. You have to realize that in the U.S. there is a huge level of distrust between the police and the public. The string of recent shootings involving officers and unarmed citizens is escalating at a horrifying rate. Police officers become cops to uphold the law, and any decent cop would understand the necessity for body cameras. Officers who are opposed seem like they have something to hide. In order for trust to be rebuilt there must be transparency. I'll take the 59% drop in police use of force in exchange for an officer's possible loss of "privacy."
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