Police commanders will soon have the technical capability to sit in the police station and monitor what all of their officers are doing in the field, thanks to miniature video cameras that can be worn by officers and ever-increasing bandwidth. What effect do you think this will have on police work? As a police officer, would you welcome this new technology? Would you welcome it as a member of the public?

Please respond to the students essay answer in reply to the discussion question.

Discussion Question:

Police commanders will soon have the technical capability to sit in the police station and monitor what all of their officers are doing in the field, thanks to miniature video cameras that can be worn by officers and ever-increasing bandwidth. What effect do you think this will have on police work? As a police officer, would you welcome this new technology? Would you welcome it as a member of the public?

Students Response to Discussion Question:

I feel that body cameras used by local police and sheriffs departments are beneficial to enhance officer safety, improve evidence quality, minimize public complaints, and limit agency liability. Police body cameras are tiny cameras that are attached to an officers lapel, eyeglasses, or hat. During public contacts, they can record video and audio. This technology is widely seen as having the potential to improve transparencyand reestablish confidence between communities and police (Hopkins,2021). There are both pros and cons that are associated with the use of police body cameras. For starters, police body cams improve policing openness. The gadgets, when utilized appropriately, can record video and audio of exactly what happened during a public contact from the officers perspective. The release of unedited recordings gives individuals a better understanding of the
conditions and decisions taken during tumultuous occurrences. Many people feel that by sharing video evidence, policemen will be held more accountable for their conduct and community-police relations will improve (Hopkins, 2021). I agree that if officers are wearing body cameras there is no room for hearsay involving what happened or did not happen and then officers can be held accountable for their actions without any bias parties. The simple presence of police body cameras on the scene may help both citizens and officers behave better. A year-long study of UK and US police department
discovered a 93 percent decrease in civilian complaints against officers. The usage of recording devices, according to researchers, may have calmed potentially explosive conduct on both sides in this situation (Hopkins, 2021). Although there are many pros for body cameras here are some of the cons that are also associated with body cameras. For starters, there is no compelling proof that police body cams alone minimize the use of force. Recent research, according to the neutral Pew Trust, have yielded conflicting outcomes. Five investigations revealed that cops wearing cameras used less force, whereas eight trials found no statistically significant difference. Policies limiting their deployment, according to policing professionals, have a significant impact in deciding device efficacy (Ohlheiser, 2021). Another problem is that facial
recognition technology may be used to follow people illegally and enhance racial prejudice in police enforcement. Finally, the cost of body cameras hinders some jurisdictions from getting on board with the use of body cameras (Ohlheiser, 2021). In my opinion, I think as an officer or a citizen there is no harm in accepting the use of body cameras on officers. The only downfall on the use of cameras is that police chiefs still have the final say on if the footage can be reviewed, released, or deleted. Therefore, citizens still feel the need to record from their cell phones or other devices when they see incidents occur. People video cops because they know cops harm or murder people and lie about it; it is typically within their First Amendment rights to do so; and it may help them feel safer to record a contact with the cops. Independent footage showing suspected police misconduct or violence might sometimes be the only thing that can make a false police narrative give way to the reality.(Hopkins, 2021).

Please reference the course text material and use scholarly sources (other than the assigned course text).

Course Text Materials:
1- Title: Policing America (9th ed.) Author: Peak, K., & Sousa, W. Publisher: Pearson
Year Published: 2018 ISBN: 97801345256959

2-Title: Police & Society (7th ed.) Author: Novak, K., Smith, B., Cordner, G., & Roberg, R. Publisher: Oxford University Press
Year Published: 2017 ISBN: 9780190639211

The response should demonstrate the application of theory, law, policy, practice, and/or scholarly literature. Please check for the correct use of APA formatting, in-text citations and grammatical errors

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