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Essay / Reasons Why Police Officers Should Wear Body Cameras
Jesse Williams once said, “Even with video evidence of police destroying black people, many freedom-loving Americans still aren't convinced existence of a systemic problem. » (Williams) It is always difficult to determine whether or not police officers should wear body cameras because we live in a country where the justice system is unfair. Police officers should not only wear body cameras when it comes to black lives, but all lives. Despite the injustice within the justice system, there is still a belief that this country can break these chains and rise above them. All actions of police officers must be carefully evaluated, especially when they have committed an unspeakable crime, for which they are clearly in the wrong. It can be said that police officers are under a lot of pressure, given their work, duties and responsibilities. Police officers have a lot to do and some even witness heinous crimes throughout their policing career, causing mental effects that can make their job even more difficult. Police officers are put in place to serve, protect and enforce the rules, but that doesn't mean they should act as if the rules don't apply to them. Not all police officers are good police officers, and those who are good are considered bad because all it takes is one police officer to do or say the wrong thing, and then the entire department is under constant attack and surveillance. It can also be inserted that with police department staffing shortages, police departments are rushing the police officer graduation process, causing officers to react to uncertainty when placed in a situation and the next thing they do is draw their gun, when there is a situation. are other avenues to take. According to Issues and Controversies: Overviews and Pro/Con Arguments, police officers are equipped to use deadly force, particularly when they deem it necessary. If police officers are placed in a situation where they may decide to use deadly force, opening the door to serious injury or even death; then all actions taken by the police must be filmed. The trust that is supposed to be instilled in police officers by American citizens and within communities simply no longer exists and that trust will remain lost until police departments step up and do what they need to do, and that is, make sure all police officers wear body cameras. One article states: “Body cameras will improve law enforcement and reduce incidents of police brutality. Body cameras will help reward good police work and hold unruly officers accountable for their actions. » Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay For some police officers, it's not about protecting and serving, it's about the power and control that comes with their job. Since police officers are entitled to so much power and control over citizens, police departments should absolutely require officers to wear body cameras. There is a saying, "hurt people, hurt people," and many of the people we encounter in criminal justice as well as law enforcement had a difficult upbringing as a child. , teenager and even young adult. and serving certain aspects of the community allows them to take back what was taken from thembecoming a role model for others and stepping up to ensure that children, adolescents and even young adults do not experience the same things as them. ; However, some police officers see serving their community as a way to get around the harm that has been done to them, only to hurt other innocent people and it becomes an uncontrolled desire, and before they know it, they have hurt many . There was an incident in Birmingham, Alabama in which CBS News reported that "an officer staged a shootout to make it appear as if he was being attacked" (CBS News). How many people must be victims of police brutality before police departments say enough is enough? According to the Harvard Law Review, “body cameras are a powerful and indiscriminate technology…. The hope is that videotaping or interactions between police and civilians will deter officers from misconduct.” Police departments should not get their hopes up so quickly that body cameras will automatically erase the hurt and pain caused by police officers, but realize that healing takes time and the application of body cameras is a good sign of 'hope. and faith to build better relationships within communities and with citizens. Even if police departments want to ignore this problem, they have officers who are not under control, which will lead to many problems within the police department. Having uncontrolled officers will always give police departments a bad reputation. Citizens want to believe that all agents have their best interests in mind and will act correctly in all situations, but they gradually realize that this is not always the case for many agents. Many police officers find themselves in situations where citizens are exercising their First Amendment right to film the police, because in 2019, failure to properly signal a lane change turns into a person being shot in their car by police, It's not something that's supposed to happen, but it happens anyway. Come to think of it, why do police departments have no problem filming a suspect during an interrogation, but are willing to explore other options when it comes to filming officers' actions when do they get into certain situations with citizens? If you ask me, the reasons why police officers should wear body cameras are the same. Although police officers are not as respected as they were 20 years ago, police lives still matter; however, the lives of police officers will only matter if the lives of the people they are sworn to protect and serve matter. One article states: “Police body cameras are a good learning tool and enjoy strong support from members of the public” (Police Body Camera: Top 3 Pros and Cons) . The use of body cameras can be very beneficial to police departments as they train officers on what to do and what not to do in certain situations. Showing community members that police officers are more than willing to restore broken trust is a good step toward good policing because it will allow them to do their jobs effectively. The police deserve credit for what they do, and they do a lot. For example, they deal with murderers, child predators, engage in high-speed chases, and are involved in shootings. So every day it's a constant fight to survive and make it through to the next day because they do the things that some of us do. probably never will simply because of thedangers involved, and it is because of the dangers of being a police officer that police officers should wear body cameras. Police officers are no longer feared or respected and many things regarding the police are responsible for playing a role in this. Police officers are now an endangered species, because the people have spoken and they are tired of police officers committing crimes and getting away with it. People have come to the conclusion that if the justice system and police departments are not willing to do anything to keep these officers in check, they will. Given these points, police departments should be in a position where they are more than willing to provide their officers with the appropriate resources upon entering duty, ensuring that one of their resources is a body camera . People do a lot of crazy things, not only to themselves and others, but also to police officers and to the men and women who have dedicated their lives to serving others and ultimately giving their lives ,must be protected by body cameras which must be turned on from the moment they clock in to work. Being a police officer should not be taken lightly because ultimately it is a very serious and dangerous job, and a single judgment could shed light on thousands of problems within a police department. With the strain most police departments are under due to increased police brutality, it is easy for many people opposed to policing and police officers to take advantage of the situation and use it for their own purposes. their advantage. For example, a citizen may be stopped for running a stop sign, and the police ask for a license, registration and proof of insurance and run everything and everything comes back clear and they write him a ticket and continue with their day , but then they got to work and a complaint was filed stating that "the officers used excessive force." Body camera video will show the officer did not use excessive force and did everything he was supposed to do during a routine traffic stop. According to the Florida Bar Journal, “law enforcement officers are the subject of more complaints than other first responders responsible for public safety.” Given the recent increase in police brutality, if a police officer uses excessive force or makes noise, outsiders automatically assume it is police brutality and when word spreads that there are bad police officers on the loose, the police decide to shoot or shoot. officer or suspend them because they need to let go of their words and actions, and that seems like the best thing to do because they don't want to become a tabloid when that's not the case. A false story could ruin a police officer's life, and they would end up being punished unnecessarily. Body cameras can help determine whether a police officer's response was justified, because once again, the camera will show anything that might be left out, accidentally or intentionally. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a custom paper now from our expert writers.Get a Custom EssayGiven the dangers of policing, officers are trained to know how to handle every situation where police officers are needed, but is that always the case ? Most officers hide behind their badges and uniforms and automatically think that what they did is justified, when it is not. Distinguishing between good and evil is.