In light of recent media coverage regarding police enforcement, body-worn cameras can prove essential in ensuring accuracy of outcome and protecting your community from wrongdoing. You can do more to protect yourself, your agency and your community by considering these 4 advantages to body-worn cams.
According to Justice.gov:
Police leaders who have deployed body-worn cameras say there are many benefits associated with the devices. They note that body-worn cameras are useful for documenting evidence; officer training; preventing and resolving complaints brought by members of the public; and strengthening police transparency, performance, and accountability. In addition, given that police now operate in a world in which anyone with a cell phone camera can record video footage of a police encounter, body-worn cameras help police departments ensure events are also captured from an officer’s perspective. (2014, p. 1).
The research done by Justice.gov included these perceived benefits of wearing body-cams:
- Accountability and transparency: In the age of cell phones, you never know what may be recorded. With body-cams, the actions of the police are monitored thus allowing for accountability, but also records the incident from the officer’s perspective.
- Reducing complaints and resolving officer-involved incidents: Body cams reduced the amount of police brutality and therefore impacted the amounts of complaints.
- Identifying and correcting internal agency problems: Body-worn cameras can be used in officer training. Through recording, areas of excellences as well as areas for improvement can be identified and lead to correcting problems.
- Evidence documentation: Any recording allows for the actual events to be documented. Thus, anything that could be useful as evidence is recorded and is present when needed for documentation purposes.
Are you convinced that recording is right for your organization? Contact us so we can help you find the best solution!