The political divide in the United States has never been stronger than it is in 2017. Every topic involves people on both sides arguing over something as opposed to trying to communicate and have a discussion about real-life events. One of the most heated topics across the nation right now involves police work and police brutality.
While some people believe that police brutality is a serious issue that needs to be addressed, there are others who disagree and think that the police are doing their jobs and are doing them well. One of the compromises from the police forces across the nation is the implementation of the body cam. Here is what everyone should know about what a body cam does.
The benefits of police body cameras are very surface level and obvious to many. They will help provide some form of accountability for how police treat and interact with people. Many hope these cameras will help keep police officers honest as they go about their daily duties.
A recent study was conducted that revealed that there 93% fewer complaints from the public for the officers that are equipped with body cameras. As of March 2015, data has determined that about one-third of the 18,000 police departments in the United States were using body cameras. Plus, a 2015 study revealed that cops wearing cameras were 25% more likely to consider these devices helpful for their interactions with teh public.
There was a 60% drop in use of force reported by the Rialto, California Police Department after they implemented the usage of the body cam device for police officers. This is because these types of devices make everyone feel safer knowing that they are being watched.
The Pew Research Center conducted a survey recently that revealed some interesting results including the fact that 52% of police department administrators said that police body camera would make the public more likely to cooperate with officers. This survey also revealed that 93% of 8,0000 officers said that they have become more concerned about the dangers of the job.
The Pew Research Center survey also revealed that 66% of officers and 93% of the public favor the use of body cameras by officers to record interactions with citizens. Finally, this survey also revealed that 50% of officers said that body camera would make police more likely to act appropriately.
In Conclusion
The police body cam is a device that will definitely help any situation that is involving police and civilians. There has been plenty of research done that has revealed there are definitely positive effects on this development. It has managed to help people on both sides of this debate feel safer in their daily interactions with the cops. There is no doubt that as technology expands there will be more and more developments of this nature.
