EFFECTS OF USING POLICE BODY CAMERAS
Cause
As a result of police body cameras being used, the truth about police operations can finally come out. There have been several cases of police brutality in the US courts. The blacks in the US have been proportionately affected due to police making more black arrests compared to other races. Racial profiling in policing continues to be a significant problem in the US, and it has widespread adverse effects on blacks. The police have been reported of breaking protocol and getting away with their conduct because of a lack of or insufficient evidence regarding the reported incidences. The police have killed many people without justifications. As such, the police have been condemned now and then for going against established procedures, which are meant to safeguard both the police and the public, especially in the event of lawsuits. The police have also been accused of using excessive force even when it is not necessary when they are undertaking arrests, and this practice is more prevalent among blacks in the US. Accordingly, many individuals and families, especially blacks, have been denied justice due to a lack of evidence to prosecute and subsequently bring the culprits to justice. The US has experienced a section of the public going to the streets to demonstrate against police brutality. Some of these demonstrations have led to the formation of movements, some of which are inclined to a particular race, the black being prominent. The police image has been tarnished as a result.
The police departments, in collaboration with all government levels, have tried to implement policies for regulating police conduct, but only partial fruits have been realized from the efforts. The police have established procedures that the police should comply with during their operations, for example, regular police patrols in various communities in the country. However, the police have always broken these policies because once they are out there in the field, it is impossible to regulate their conduct. The police regulators have to rely on the cooperation of the police to ensure that police procedures are being followed. Due to this unmonitored that the police have when they are out in the field, some police abuse their policing authority and handle the public in a manner that is inconsistent with established protocols. Surveillance cameras in the streets do not seem to capture all areas that the police conduct patrols. Even if they capture, some police device new ways every day aiming to avoid being captured by the cameras when they are going against established procedures. Police have also been accused several of defending their partners when either one or all of the police officers involved is charged with violating police regulations. Due to these challenges of monitoring police behavior, police accountability is considerably low. The criminal justice system has tried several theoretical approaches to regulating police conduct in vain hence the need for more practical solutions (Friedersdorf, 2015). Therefore, police body cameras present a viable solution to revealing what happens when the police are out there working without an immediate supervisor being around.
Short-Term Effect
The short term effect of police body cameras is improved civility. Civility is particularly essential in ensuring that the police follow established protocols. When the police are aware that their every step is being monitored during their operations, they are more likely to comply with the police procedures. In addition, if there are police body cameras and there is strict regulation of turning the cameras on or off and severe penalties for those who turn off the cameras without permission, the police will work to enhance civility (Friedersdorf, 2015). The police will handle the public more courteously without using unnecessary force. The police will also conduct arrests in justifiable cases.
Short-Term Effect
The long-term effect is the development of better community relationships and cooperation between the police and the public, especially regarding disproportionate police brutality against blacks based on race and stereotypes. The community must have trust in the police since security requires cooperation between police and the community. A significant part of security risks averted by the police has been through the aid of the community. When there is no trust between the community and the police, the public is unlikely to cooperate. The situation becomes worse when racial profiling comes to play. From a racial perspective, police body cameras are a rational next approach to transforming the relationship between the blacks and the police relative to other previous strategies (Friedersdorf, 2015). If police officers are aware that their behavior will be recorded with extensive detail, they are more likely to treat suspects based on crime rather than race. Besides, the truth recorded on the cameral can ultimately set the blacks free so that people make verdicts based on hard evidence, unlike biases (Friedersdorf, 2015).
References
Friedersdorf, C. (2015). How Cameras Provide Hard Evidence of Prejudice. The Atlantic. Retrieved 12 April 2020, from https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2015/04/cameras-provide-hard-evidence-of-prejudice/391763/.