Police body cameras, good or bad?

[Phoenix84]

Currently several police departments issue body cameras for their officers. While many see it as a good thing, others see the potential downsides.

preview.msn.com/en-us/news/us/police-body-cameras-raise-privacy-concerns/ar-BB6mOx2

The article does a good job outlining the possible benefits while also raising issues like privacy concerns.

So what do you think, is it a good thing or a bad thing for these things to be issued?

[Phoenix84]

I can see many situations where it would be a overall benefit to having a camera on an officer. It could nix a lot of frivolous complaints against officers and be useful evidence in many court cases.

But it does raise issues of privacy. As the article said, often times when people interact with police, it's generally not when they're at their best and I'll be you dollars to doughnuts we'll start seeing this stuff pop up on youtube. Plus this will play into what I've observed is people being convicted in the court of public opinion over some mistakes made public. It may also make reluctant witnesses less likely to come forward.

I wonder if an officers every action is being recorded, if they'll be less likely to let minor offenses go. For example, will an officer on camera be less likely to issue a warning for a traffic stop if he knows he's being recorded?

[lexxy703]

The link didn't work for me.

[Phoenix84]

Sorry, it should work now.

[Ombud]

Good

Eliminates he said / she said

[alabamagal]

Good, I think.

There are already so many cameras now in public places, that you are being taped a lot of time anyway without even realizing it.  Remember back to the Boston bombing, they used security cameras from all kinds of business to get pictures of the bombers as they walked down the street.  

You should only worry if you are doing something wrong.

[ArchietheDragon]

Are the cameras going to automatically shut off when the police enter the restroom?

[lexxy703]

I think more good than bad.

[achelois]

I think we will end up going with more cctv in public places, too. 

It will eliminate a lot of privacy but may help cut down on riots also. If you are in public, I think your expectation of privacy is low as it is. 

[Deleted]

My stepfather who is a retired cop says he'd never encourage anyone to go into the field these days, what with cameras everywhere, on cars, etc...  I'm never sure how to take that and don't feel comfortable asking him to elaborate..?

[Phoenix84]

Sept 29, 2014 15:17:33 GMT -5 alabamagal said:

Good, I think.

There are already so many cameras now in public places, that you are being taped a lot of time anyway without even realizing it.  Remember back to the Boston bombing, they used security cameras from all kinds of business to get pictures of the bombers as they walked down the street.  

You should only worry if you are doing something wrong.

"You only need to worry if you are doing something wrong" is a very big brother attitude.

[Phoenix84]

Sept 29, 2014 16:29:18 GMT -5 achelois said:

I think we will end up going with more cctv in public places, too. 

It will eliminate a lot of privacy but may help cut down on riots also. If you are in public, I think your expectation of privacy is low as it is. 

But that's the thing. These police cameras aren't just going to be used in public places. What about when police need to enter a home on a call for domestic violence or for some other reason?

It also raises the question about how public the footage should be.

[siralynn]

It certainly raises some questions, but given how many unarmed black men are getting shot, I think it's well worth it.

[Phoenix84]

Sept 29, 2014 17:42:46 GMT -5 siralynn said:

It certainly raises some questions, but given how many unarmed black men are getting shot, I think it's well worth it.

Even if the incident in Ferguson was murder, inter race crime is pretty rare. It should not be the deciding factor in a wide reaching case like this.

Just remember, the video evidence could paint the victim in a bad light just as easily as the other way around.

In the end, I neither support nor condemn these cameras, but I think it's an issue that needs to be clearly evaluated.

[achelois]

The citizens of Ferguson are demanding them. So, they will get them. 

Sometimes people need to be careful what they wish for. I think the future will hold a lot less privacy for us all. I, personally, do not like that. I doubt there will be any careful discussion and evaluation of these things beforehand. All these will be hashed out after the fact and it will be a mess and contentious until an equilibrium eventually emerges. 

But we have all these cellphones out there already, with cameras, and postings to social media like facebook and youtube--it does not bode well, IMHO. 

As I said, I bet we will move to more of the public cctvs as many places have in England, etc. 

Even now, when I am out, I assume that there is some form of surveillance, either private or public, cameras. My nail salon, where I get my pedicures, has cctv. 

I would operate under the assumption that if police are called to a home, the cameras would be recording.  There is even some talk about having OR surgical cases recorded. I hope that does not get too far. Many places also have cameras in each ICU cubicle, although that is currently supposed to be so that a doctor can almost continuously observe care. 

Nurses are already used to having their every movement scrutinized. Many places track their location continuously via their ID badges, etc. 

[JustLurkin]

I'm not a Black male, but I've been pulled over and felt afraid. I don't have a problem with the cameras.

[souldoubt]

In a lot of cases I don't agree with the "you should only worry if you're doing something wrong" mentality because too many things these days are done at the expense of our civil liberties.  As far as this goes I'm for it because individuals who have badges have a certain amount of power and sometimes they abuse that power.  I don't believe a high percentage of cops are doing it but if you're on the receiving end of it you may not feel like you have anywhere to turn for fear of them protecting their own.  I've had mostly good experiences with cops but I've had a few where I did nothing wrong and they just had a horrible attitude and treated me like crap.  Those ones always stick with you more and really what can you do?  Complaining a cop was an asshole who was out of line is like pissing into the wind it's not going to end well.

[shanendoah]

In every place body cameras have been issued to police officers, excessive use of force complaints have dropped significantly. Whether this is because the police officers know they are being recorded and therefore aren't using excessive force or because those they interact with know they are being recorded and therefore don't make frivolous claims, I do not know. 
However, either way it is a win. Either police are no longer using excessive force (good for the public and PR) or the department isn't having to waste time and resources investigating frivolous claims.

Because I happen to live in a city whose police force has been sanctioned numerous times by federal authorities for excessive use of force, and because those issues are still ongoing, I would welcome police body cameras.

And also, because I absolutely hate having to try to explain cases like Ferguson when my daughter happens to catch a glimpse of the CNN coverage while we're at McDonalds. "You're a cute little white girl, you don't really have to be afraid of being randomly shot by police, but the black and Hispanic boys you go to school with will always have a very different experience than you" is not something I look forward to repeating.


And I say this especially since we are open to adopting from all races, so there's just as much chance that we will end up with a black son as we will another white daughter.

[Phoenix84]

I personally wouldn't like having to wear a camera at work, or having a camera shoved in my face at every turn.

But that does seem to be the trend of things. I agree that, even now, you have no reasonable expectation of privacy in a public place.

[Phoenix84]

Sept 29, 2014 18:18:13 GMT -5 achelois said:

The citizens of Ferguson are demanding them. So, they will get them. 

Sometimes people need to be careful what they wish for. I think the future will hold a lot less privacy for us all. I, personally, do not like that. I doubt there will be any careful discussion and evaluation of these things beforehand. All these will be hashed out after the fact and it will be a mess and contentious until an equilibrium eventually emerges. 

But we have all these cellphones out there already, with cameras, and postings to social media like facebook and youtube--it does not bode well, IMHO. 

As I said, I bet we will move to more of the public cctvs as many places have in England, etc. 

Even now, when I am out, I assume that there is some form of surveillance, either private or public, cameras. My nail salon, where I get my pedicures, has cctv. 

I would operate under the assumption that if police are called to a home, the cameras would be recording.  There is even some talk about having OR surgical cases recorded. I hope that does not get too far. Many places also have cameras in each ICU cubicle, although that is currently supposed to be so that a doctor can almost continuously observe care. 

Nurses are already used to having their every movement scrutinized. Many places track their location continuously via their ID badges, etc. 

I think that's what's going to happen too.

Police will get cameras, and then there will be incidents and issues that come up that dictate policy and regulation and eventually some type of equilibrium will develop.

[Phoenix84]

Sept 29, 2014 18:51:11 GMT -5 shanendoah said:

In every place body cameras have been issued to police officers, excessive use of force complaints have dropped significantly. Whether this is because the police officers know they are being recorded and therefore aren't using excessive force or because those they interact with know they are being recorded and therefore don't make frivolous claims, I do not know. 
However, either way it is a win. Either police are no longer using excessive force (good for the public and PR) or the department isn't having to waste time and resources investigating frivolous claims.

Because I happen to live in a city whose police force has been sanctioned numerous times by federal authorities for excessive use of force, and because those issues are still ongoing, I would welcome police body cameras.

And also, because I absolutely hate having to try to explain cases like Ferguson when my daughter happens to catch a glimpse of the CNN coverage while we're at McDonalds. "You're a cute little white girl, you don't really have to be afraid of being randomly shot by police, but the black and Hispanic boys you go to school with will always have a very different experience than you" is not something I look forward to repeating.


And I say this especially since we are open to adopting from all races, so there's just as much chance that we will end up with a black son as we will another white daughter.

For some reason I thought you were going to adopt another kid of the same gender to avoid having to have two separate rooms or something?

[shanendoah]

Phoenix84 - Originally yes, though black girls face a harder life than white girls, when it comes to cops, too. But, our roommate moved out, giving us an extra room, so we are now open to boys as well as girls. 

[Phoenix84]

I'm not sure what you'd need to explain to a kid who watched something on CNN about the case.

All I'd say is "a cop shot an unarmed man. The incident is being investigated."

I wouldn't bring up race politics unless she specifically asked.

[shanendoah]

Phoenix84 - You don't have kids, do you?
If I tell her a cop shot someone, she wants to know why. She's not a 2 year old who asks why incessantly because it's fun. She's a preteen who asks why because she's trying to understand the world she lives in.
And then I later get comments like "but that cop is black", as she tries to make sense of a world that doesn't make sense.

But anyway, the point is, I don't get to make blanket statements. Because she will always ask why. And I will do my best to answer her as honestly as I can, until I can't anymore. (And trust me, we frequently get to a point where my answer is "I don't know".) 

[Nazgul Girl]

   I think that body cameras for officers are a good idea.   The cameras would be protective of both the officer and the public.