Police Body Cameras - 1715 Words

Todays Police Put On a Gun and a Camera Author: Johnson, Kirk ProQuest document link Abstract: Liability-conscious city attorneys say the cameras could help in lawsuits; rights groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, say police accountability will be bolstered by another layer of public documentation; and the Justice Department, surveying 63 police departments that were using body cameras and many others that were not, concluded in a report this month that the technology had the potential to promote the perceived legitimacy and sense of procedural justice in interactions between the public and law enforcement. Links: Linking Service Full text: PULLMAN, Wash. -- Amateur videos of police officers doing their jobs have†¦show more content†¦If they dont yell it, is everything on there now the fruit of the poisonous tree? asked Sgt. Peter Simpson, a spokesman for the Portland police department, referring to the legal doctrine that improperly gathered evidence can taint an entire case and may not be used i n court. The Portland department is testing body cameras on six officers, with plans for a departmentwide rollout. Here in Washington State, which has one of the nations most vigorous public records laws, the Seattle police are wrestling with whether video can be posted online almost immediately, as a nearly real-time documentary, and how to blur or obscure images to protect the identities of victims or informers. A pilot project that had been set for the summer was postponed partly because of questions about how public access to the recordings would work. Storage, management and retrieval of the collected data create mammoth questions of their own. Private companies like Taser International offer document storage services, along with the cameras, batteries, docking stations and software, but state laws vary widely about how long criminal records must be stored, from a few years for most misdemeanors to in perpetuity for major felonies. And as Pullman and other police departments ar e finding, people often request multiple videos. That isShow MoreRelatedPolice And Body Cameras1387 Words   |  6 Pagesthe body cameras would improve relationships with the public. â€Å"BWCs were allocated to all frontline officers in one for a period of six months (July 23, 2014–December 15, 2014), but not to any other frontline officers of the other five geographic districts ( officers=513). The single geographic district was therefore the treatment area, while each of the five other districts served as comparison sites†(). Arrests, complaints, 911 calls and the use of force were monitored through the cameras to improveRead MorePolice Officers And Body Cameras Essay1721 Words   |  7 Pagesagencies, or more specifically police officers, are under constant scrutiny from their peers as well as outside sources. Many of these problems arise from how the police treat and deal with these citizens. There is however a solution to these problems, which can not only impr ove officer safety, but can also protect anyone else that the officer encounters. The solution to this problem is officer mounted camera systems, or better known as body cameras. These body cameras capture almost everything anRead MorePolice Body Cameras On The World870 Words   |  4 Pagesyear after the camera s introduction, the use of force by officers’ decline 60%, and citizens’ complaints against police fell 88%†. (Christopher Mims) The introduction of police body cameras impacted the world in many better ways than bad. But, police body cameras were introduced due to the public s awareness to police brutality and numerous of publicity deaths which has impacted the outcome of police interactions. Police body cameras were first thought of when an awareness of police brutality wasRead MorePolice Enforcement And Body Cameras1770 Words   |  8 PagesFor the past several years the push for police to wear body cameras has greatly increased. Body cameras are small video and audio recorders that can be worn by police officers to capture all encounters the officers have with citizens. Large cities and counties across the nation have been testing body cameras among several police departments to see if they can actually improve the way police and citizens interact with one another. Over the course of the past several years evidence has shown that theRead MorePolice And Body Cameras A Need1859 Words   |  8 Pages Police and Body Cameras A Need to Heal Terri Williams ENG 122: English Composition II Prof. William Barone October 2, 2015 There are thousand among thousands of misconduct reports filed each year against the law enforcement for police officers using excessive force complaints make up nearly one quarter (Harvard Law Review, 2010). Decision, decision, decision†¦ when a police officer decides to gun down a suspect during encounter or an arrest it the police officer decision. Particularly, thatRead MoreThe Effects Of Police Body Cameras On A Police Environment Essay1380 Words   |  6 Pagesfrom police officers has been a concern for many areas in the U.S. in recent years, resulting in protests and unnecessary deaths. A handful of incidents in places such as Ferguson and Baltimore have left many in America distrustful of law enforcement procedures and how some officers handle potentially dangerous situations. One solution proposed to this issue is to equip police officers with body cameras to record the actions of officers. Frank Scalise, author of his book on police body cameras, explainsRead MorePoli ce Body Camera Decline Police Brutality956 Words   |  4 PagesTechnological Era in Policing The dispute of police body cameras truly hit the media hard this week. Blasting from the headlines all citizens were aware that Michael Brown was lethally shot in Ferguson, Missouri. This prompted officers to become fortified with body cameras. This technologically progressive world that we live in today has shaped a world of tweeting, posting and uploading. It’s about time that police departments take advantage of the tools accessible to them, especially with the advancementRead MoreThe Importance Of Police Body Cameras On The Police Force1497 Words   |  6 PagesThis past May (2015), due to recent tense police-community relations, the Obama administration initiated a government program to evaluate the effectiveness of having the police force wear body cameras. The very public incidents that have occurred ignited accusations of police brutality and as a result, the call for police body cameras is one government action in response to these accusations. The theory being that all people, even those in official capacities, behave differently when they knowRead MoreThe Effect Of Body Cameras On Police Work1722 Words   |  7 Pagesexample of a city with positive results from the use of body-cameras. In Rialto, police began wearing body-cameras a little less than three years ago. As a result of officers wearing body-cameras, citizens’ complaints against police officers dropped 88 percent and use of force by police officers dropped 60 percent from the previous 12 month period when body-cameras were not in use. Rialto’s police chief said, â€Å"When you put a camera on a police officer, they tend to behave a little better, follow theRead MoreThe Pros And Cons Of Police Body Cameras761 Words   |  4 PagesThere has been a lot of talk lately in the news about police body cameras. Some people agree that body cameras should be used by all police officers, while others disagree and believe that they shouldn’t be used at all. There are some cons to having body cameras but all of the pros outweigh it. Police body cameras should be used in all towns no matter how small because the people will act less aggressive towards officers, they provide truthful evidence that cannot be altered with, and the videos