Project Evaluation: Police Officers with Body Cameras (Essay Sample)

Table of contents
 TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u  HYPERLINK \l "_Toc453945662" Introduction 2
 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc453945663" Thesis statement 3
 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc453945664" Arguments 3
 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc453945665" Oppositions 6
 HYPERLINK \l "_Toc453945666" Rebbuttal 7
Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………………8
Work cited………………………………………………………………………………………10

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Police Officers with Body Cameras
Introduction
Body worn cameras are devices that police use to record the crime scenes and any other happenings that may require attention during their patrols. The use of the body worn cameras has gained ground in the UK, USA and other countries. The main objectives of using the cameras in police operations were to improve their service delivery and give room for proper crime coverage, which would help in criminal cases during justice.
The use of police body worn cameras has brought a lot of debate among researchers, policy from the public outweighing its importance. Security department on the other hand have maintained their stand on the issue claiming that it is for the benefit of the police and the public at large. Body-worn cameras will help police officials capture criminal cases and protect the public from harassment by these officials. This is aimed at fostering more accountability and transparency on the service delivery to the citizens (Drover and Ariel 80). Although the security department supports their claim on the use of police body cameras on crime investigation and reporting, many studies carried out on the subject raise the concern of effective policies to realize the benefits of police cameras.
Several studies have been conducted on the impacts of body cameras on the operations of the police and their reporting of crime scenes. Results from these studies indicate a significant improvement on police operations because of the use of body cameras.
This paper sought to outline the benefits of use of police body cameras in improving their operations. The thesis statement of the paper is Body Cameras should be required to create safety for the police officer on Patrol. It will help in the identification of criminals and aid in their prosecution (Drover and Ariel 82). Both arguments for and counter-arguments against the use of police of body cameras will be stated.
Thesis Statement
The thesis statement of the study is that body cameras should be required to create safety for the police officer on patrol. It will help in the identification of criminals and aid in their prosecution.
Arguments
Evidence for coverage of events
Over the past years, many criminals have escaped justice due to lack of proper evidence on their actions. In most cases, police are blamed for carrying out shoddy investigation and giving of insufficient evidence to the court to prosecute the criminals. To ensure that crime rate is reduced to a significant level, the use of body cameras in police patrol must be enacted to ensure they cover the criminal cases. The use of body cameras should be required by police officers on patrol, because it will help identify criminals and also record and monitor police who enforce the law (Drover and Ariel 83). In addition to provision of evidence on crime scenes, it will also provide evidence on the conduct of the police officers. Police officers are required to conduct themselves morally while carrying out their duties or during patrols. The use of body cameras will help track the behavior of officers. Research on the effect of the body cameras on police service delivery and conduct indicates that the use of cameras have led to a significant reduction on the immoral police behavior. Based on this research, it is possible to conclude that making body camera use a requirement for the police officers will improve their accountability for their actions as well as provision of important information needed for execution of justice on criminals and lawbreakers.
Protecting Police Officers from Harassment
Police officers have most often faced hostility and harassment from the public. In some parts of California and Arizona, for instance, the reported cases of police harassment have increased over the past years. The use of body cameras by the police will help in protecting their own lives when they are carrying out their patrols. This is because; the police will be able to show their version of the story when dealing with such cases in point of justice. Videos, which are recorded by body cameras helps in, protect the police officers from any false accusations or misconducts. The use of body cameras is reported to be reducing the cases of police confrontation by the public by a significant margin. They are believed to be very effective in reducing the complaints relating to misconduct of the public and police officers (Drover and Ariel 85). Research shows that people tend to behave better when they are on video hence police officers and the public alike will tend to behave well in the interactions. This will reduce the cases of harassment by a greater margin.
Reducing Domestic Violence
Fight against domestic violence has been a serious challenge over the past years. This is due to the high number of dismissed cases due to lack of evidence in the hearing of such cases and thus the complainants choose to drop their cases. To help in the fight of domestic violence in the country, body cameras must be as requirement for the police since it will significantly help in tabling the required evidence in the court of law. As a result, the number pending cases and dropped domestic cases due to lack of evidence will drastically reduce. Studies conducted on the measures to combat domestic violence recommend the use of body cameras in police operations to spur evidence based reports.
Accountability and Transparency
The public, humanitarian bodies and the civil society have questioned accountability and transparency of police officers, over the past years. This has led to mistrust on the police on how they conduct themselves and how they carry their duties. The use of body cameras by the police officers will ensure they are accountable for their actions therefore gaining trust from the concerned parties. A study conducted on the importance of body cameras on transparency of police argues that the police body cameras are very vital in enhancing transparency, accountability of the police. They also instill trust among the members of public on officers (Vigne 82)
Reduction of Court Expenses and Increased Proceeding Rates
While less study is done on this area, the available sources indicate that the presence of the body cameras helps in providing of undisputable video footages. This significantly helps in increasing the rate of court proceedings. It therefore leads to the reduction in the court expenses due to increased rate of court convictions. Making body cameras a requirement for police officers, will not only reduce the court expenses but also ensure effective time management in relation to handling of such cases. Studies conducted on the effectiveness of body cameras on implementation of court trials and proceeds shows that the use of such cameras has greatly affected the rate of carrying out the proceedings. They recognize the importance of equipping police with body cameras as a way of minimizing court expenses due increasing information availability. They argue that police leadership and evidence based testing are very important for the performance of the police officers.
Oppositions
Limited privacy
Police body cameras limit the privacy of the police and the public since they record all the events that occur in the course of their duties. Concerns are raised on the effect of body cameras on the privacy of individual parties. Arguments on how to determine when the recordings are classified as public records releasable to the media or for other purposes of reporting even strikes the balance between personal privacy and availability of information from such recordings. Studies on the consequences of use of body cameras on privacy of the police and the public reveals that most people discredit their use based on the privacy concerns (Vigne 87). Because the public and the police have clearly understand the limits to their rights and privacy, the use of body cameras may not significantly contribute to police and public safety and privacy.
Cameras Don’t Guarantee Safety of Police
The use of body cameras may not guarantee protection to the police officers. This is because the cameras are mainly used for recording events to provide evidence. In some critical situations, the police officers are thrown into dangerous battles with the criminals, which require them to make decisions to save their lives. In such circumstances, cameras may not provide prote...