My answer as an aspiring police officer is absolutely every officer should have a body camera and turn it on prior to every encounter with civilians on duty.
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Should officers be required to wear and use body cameras?
Honestly I think they should. The footage can prove if they were in the wrong or if the perp was the one being an ass/threat.
In Detroit there was an officer that shot a black man and the man's brother was trying to make a big stink about it and have people start protesting/rioting in the streets. The police department released the body cam footage immediately of the guy about 10 feet from the officer clearly reaching in to his pants and managed to pull out his gun and turned around but the officer was quicker on the draw.
Also that officer that shot that 16 year old girl who was about to stab another girl. They clearly yelled out to drop the knife but she didn't listen and the other girl's safety was the priority.
The body cam can also show off the police being overly agressive or do something stupid like the female officer who pulled her gun on the guy instead of her taser.
But I've seen plenty of videos being absolute assholes to cops for pulling them over for minor things like speeding. So yeah I think body cams are important.
Having BEEN a uniformed Officer back in the 1980's in a New England department which allowed NO 'officer discretion', that camera is YOUR friend! Squashes all the 'do-gooder' Monday Morning Quarterbacks... "Well, he SHOULD HAVE done..."
Or, MY little 'X' (despite his 2 page long rap sheet convictions) was just trying to pass a counterfeit $20 and tried to flee when the Po-Po arrived.
What happened to 'X' undeniably thereafter was ALSO LETHALLY wrong.
Once cuffed, controlled placed on his stomach, in the presence of MULTIPLE officers, DID NOT JUSTIFY FURTHER restraint. Although SOME departments DO authorize the use of a 'hogtie' lanyard for field placement around the Suspect's ankles to limit the potential to bolt. or applied differently, to lash out and kick.
It’s not only good for proving they’re following the rules, it also can be used for things like taking a statement if they’re unable to write it down at that moment, or as evidence in any number of events. It also establishes when they’re in the right in a situation that sounds bad — one real life example, a cop shot a minor holding a toy gun. When I saw the bodycam footage, it became really clear that it really did look like the kid was aiming a real gun at someone and refused to put down the gun when asked.
Yes they should. I don't know if it will help in regards to the media and the general population that is already biased against cops, but it would be actual proof to help them in legal matters.
YES, but only so America can then see why all the stupid criminals keep getting shot by the Police. Truly, I'd say nearly everyone in America can go all our entire lives without getting shot by the police. Criminals get shot because of their BAD BEHAVIOR. America will eventually wake up and realize BAD BEHAVIOR is the real reason why people get shot. The Police are only reacting to peoples behavior. If you're a good citizen, not breaking the law, then you're not going to get shot. ITS SIMPLE. Don't break the law.
The departments in my area all require them, have been for a decade or more... in fact if there is a encounter and it was turned off, that is disciplinary action... up to and including termination.
Camera's protect officers as well as people.
Just like my dash cam on my pickup protects me when someone cuts me off and I rear end them, now I have evidence I was NOT tail gating and they came over and I couldn't have stopped in time... so they get the ticket. Happened several times to me in the last few years... as towing a trailer one cannot stop on a dime.
I don't like must, besides that camera should be on all the time when on duty. For their own safety and to deal with any complaints. If that not required they could turn it off when doing stuff they don't want people to see. So I think most emergency personal should be equipt with these.
Most often than not, it would demonstrate that a lot of policeguys get unjustly passed for delinquents when they are victims of the dickheads roaming the streets. No manipulating phone videos anymore if there's a live recording of what actually happened.
The only people who say no are the ones who think police should have privacy on the job, and should be able to have free time on the clock, and the people who know dirty cops. For the first group, no reason for us to watch unless the video is being requested as evidence. No one cares if Officer Star had a phone call with the Mrs.
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There's also BLM organizers who don't want the truth to be put out there when they lie about what happened in a deadly force encounter.
No even BLM overwhelmingly agrees with the idea of bodycams because police love to lie on reports and it only takes one lie to piss off a judge, especially if the lie was done to cover their own ass.
People who support BLM support body cameras, but the organization has the end of the use of cameras on dashboards and body worn cameras by police officers because the organization keeps getting caught lying about what happened
Your logic is stupid. Why would you promote a cause you want to end? Dash cams and body cams routinely catch officers lying, breaking the law or instigating situations. Even if you get rid of body and dash cams you'd still have a Cop's word against a civilians and not even liberal judges ignore a police report.
It's the fact that almost all can PURPOSELY turn it off, to maybe hide some things that they do! But should they be SOOOO in QUESTION, and the public, so LACKING in TRUST, that they need to wear cameras, and record audio and video, just to protect themselves, or PROVE that they are acting, and treating people with respect?
I have worked several jobs where I have been constantly under surveillance. After a while you don't think about it any more. As often as people think they are only useful in catching cops with bad behavior it can in fact also be used to vindicate cops who are falsely accused of bad behavior.
Yes, of course. It protects both the officer and civilian. It eliminates the "he said, they said" dynamic and keeps honest cops honest. Further I believe that turning off a body cam is an act of premeditation, and any officer who orders his/her team to turn off their body cam should be held directly responsible for any acts that follow.
I've had too many friends and acquaintances beaten, raped and/or killed by cops.
Required or not I think they will consistently wear them anyway. Nowadays all white cops are considered “brutal and racist” whenever they interact with minorities. They will do it regardless.
It doesn’t matter if they saved a black girls life from getting stabbed from another black girl (just imagine if there wasn’t videotape evidence Ma’Khia Bryant using a knife).
it's a great idea, BLM demanded it after Michael from Ferguson was killed and it has helped secure thousands of convictions and spared many officers the pain of bullshit accusations. If you've noticed, all the BLM type groups have been quite about it for some time
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I've also seen on the BLM list of demands that body worn cameras and dash cams be banned. They said it's because they haven't helped reduce misconduct, but I think we all know the real reason why they don't want police wearing cameras...🤔
I think they should, 100%. The reason being that those cameras can give you an insight into the facts of the situation. Police officers have complaints filed against them all the time for simply doing their jobs. Those cameras can also reveal police misconduct. They are powerful tools.
Literally, almost every case I hear about (or a friend of mine uses as a reason for why he dislikes cops) has been explained through body cams. And the police is almost always fully within their rights to act as they do
@7771999 cops are human beings capable of mistakes, just like anyone else. What gets me is the glorification of career criminals who are treated like saints.
Killing people and committing crimes aren't mistakes. If you don't like career criminals why do you excuse the actions of police as "mistakes". A cop lying to cover up a "mistake" is called perjury, and they do it all the time. Hell the LA Banditos committed god knows how many crimes including assaulting other officers
Absolutely. You can't remember everything. You can't see everything. Sometimes what you remember is not accurate. It protects the cop AND the suspect. Unless you're trying to hide something, that's the only reason why it wouldn't be on. Very suspicious.
ell yes! it has saved a lot of officers necks. suspects screaming "racist" or being claiming they were assulted have been proven wrong by the these cameras. leader of a vitimhood organization was also caught lying on these body cameras.
No brainer, they just caught a cop running a drug ring like a week ago. They catch cops planting drugs every month. Of course we need to watch them. If that lady cop hadn’t had a body cam when she pulled a pistol out yelling taser and shot a young boy she would be free and never see justice.
It might depend on the state and whether it's a 2 party consent state or single party consent state. Generally you have the right to record them during an encounter though
For the officer's own protection as well as the protection of the public. The fact that the camera is there can restrain an officer who is going overboard or out of control, because he remembers that he is being recorded. And a member of the public will be less likely to falsely accuse an officer of misconduct because the evidence will be there, and will show exactly what happened and what didn't happen.
This is another issue I can't understand why people oppose it. If the cop is behaving correctly they have nothing to hide. If their life was genuinely in danger from say a student dorm resident picking up litter outside his home there's a perfect witness to the incident...
Yes, I think its in their best interest to do so (not that anyone pays attention to the bodycam footage, they just pay attention to the sensationalized headlines).
It doesn't make a difference. Black people will still scream and riot and attack people even if a video shows that the dead person literally shot first or was about to stab another black person. Body cameras won't fix their low IQ.
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Anonymous
(30-35)
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Absolutely, and mostly for their own protection. With all the bullshit they have to deal with these days, they need to be able to show what actually happened to avoid false accusations. It's a good thing Nicholas Reardon was using his, and even with the obvious evidence that he saved a girl's life, stupid people still tried to crucify him.
As a copWatcher I say yes, But it needs to be running from the beginning of their shift til the very end of their shift, they should not have the ability to turn it off, audio/visual should be running constantly
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One objection to that idea that I've heard is that if the cameras are accessed by the wrong people, it could violate the privacy of people and put them or the officers in danger because they could trace back to their location and address if they see them on video driving.
Absolutely and they should be held accountable and punished accordingly for turning it off while responding to any situation, infact there should be no turn on and off button. Cameras must be controlled remotely by the CCTV guy or something.
For protection of all parties involved, yes. They insure the cop won't do anything corrupt or illegal and also helps police properly identify any suspects that attempt to escape.
Yea they should and a dash cam. You shouldn't do anything on duty you wouldn't want anyone to know about. I get that some graphic stuff happens but a reasonable civilian oversight review board and cameras should be the norm.
If police get defunded, body cams are one of the first things that would be cut. They are great for evidence, but will be canned in favor of using funds for officer safety vs. buying extra cams.
Yes they should but I sometimes think it would be a bad thing. Eg) a big time drug dealer gets arrested and if the police had cameras they would just put them in handcuffs but if they didn't they could bee more brutal
I find it to be a useful tool to show the public how most police interactions are positive.
And when the police are being accused of something, they can show clear evidence of their innocence.
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Anonymous
(30-35)
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Considering the prevalence of misconduct among officers, I'd say that they should, yes. I'd also say that internal affairs should instead be outsourced to a third party, because of how common it is that police just plainly refuse to police their own.
It doesn't make a difference bro. A cop stopped a stabbing and the body cam video was edited and people got upset anyway. People will want to jump to the conclusion they prefer to be true regardless.
Yep, on the cops if they dont have it on and an altercation happens
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Anonymous
(45 Plus)
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Wearing them is one thing. Having them switched on all the time is another - and you'd be amazed how often they "accidentally" get turned off before some law breaking occurs.
I was in public once before the days of the internet and 3 police officers beat up a few kids very badly. If this was today this would be all over social media.
Yes police should wear and have body cams on during any encounter. Civilians should also be aloud to record the encounter. For some reason some police officials don't like to be recorded.
@mintbloo Not all cops have body cams. Some departments are small and do not have the budget. In my state, only the major cities and some of the best funded counties have them.
@libsaretards My town has a population of like 450 people and our tiny police barracks (3 cops) has body cams. I know this as I am related to the one cop. So even some very small rural towns have them also.
If the ground is of national security then nothing comes over it and officer is anywhich ways serving for the common good. It can have far reaching consequences which can help administration a lot.
I'd say yes, for their own sake. Problem is, even if they're accused of something and give the video proof it's wrong, people will still claim they've modified the video.
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