Body Worn Cameras Simplify Stealth Operations

In today's modern cities, the need for security has never been greater. But just how effective are the most common methods of security - body cams, surveillance equipment, and more? With a recent FBI report showing a 40% rise in violent crime in the last 12 months across 28 major U.S. cities, it is becoming clear that these systems need to be improved upon even more than they have been before. Body cams are quickly being seen as one way to combat this rise in crime and provide justice for victims of these crimes.

One method police departments around different parts of the United States have employed to strengthen their use of body cameras is by combining them with body worn cameras (BWCs). These BWCs are a cheap and effective means of recording police interactions with citizens in real time. They provide more evidence for prosecution of criminals, as well as protecting police from false accusations. Recently the Dayton Police Department in Ohio has adopted the use of BWCs, stating that it "will make us more transparent and accountable to the public". Body cam footage can be used to make any situation more accountable to both citizens and officers.

Though body cams have been proven to be very effective in situations where it is suspected that officer conduct may have been inappropriate or illegal, body cams are not as great at handling situations where there is no such suspicion. When there is no suspicion, it makes the situation much more complex.

With body cams, it has been proven throughout their use that managing the footage can be a major problem. Footage must be managed by someone with a lot of experience and training to ensure that evidence is properly handled and secured in keeping the rights of the people being recorded protected. When officers are involved in situations where there is no suspicion of wrongdoing, body cams remove all of that work; footage is only being recorded by a camera aimed at the officer. How this was managed before was up to the officer's discretion and should they be found out of line with body cam footage they would suffer severe consequences to their career and possibly legal action.

BWCs are a much more effective means of managing the footage, as there is no one man wearing the BWC. The body cam and the officer's camera can be synchronized to record footage simultaneously, and then both recordings can be viewed and managed by a single individual who is in charge. That single person does not have to be an expert in either technology or law, but can just enter information into a police database that stores the data for their department.

This allows officers far more discretion in how they manage video evidence from their own cameras than they would with body cams alone. This is a very positive quality for police departments to have, as it allows officers to feel more comfortable in their own abilities. But this may be a double-edged sword. Though it can be beneficial for an officer's morale, the same system can also be dangerous if mismanaged. Body cams are able to provide more evidence of what truly happened in any situation than BWCs, but BWCs can provide all the evidence of what did not happen. This makes BWCs a much better option for evidence when there is no suspicion of misconduct or crime.

Body worn cameras are an effective means of recording evidence and providing accountability for police, but when used in conjunction with BWCs, the system is more efficient and effective. Body cams are great for situations where there has been suspicion of misconduct or crime, but BWCs are much more useful without such suspicion.

About the Author: Meghan MacLean works on the intersection of technology and society at the Evolving Law Institute. The Evolving Law Institute (ELI) is a San Diego-based nonprofit organization focused on advancing public policy through technology to address emerging legal issues. In particular, ELI focuses on developing open source technologies to empower individuals in their interactions with law enforcement and other government services. As part of their efforts, ELI has created the "Cyber First" website, aimed at making government and law enforcement more responsive and accountable through greater use of technology. Meghan has worked with the U.S. State Department in various roles in technology management and policy, managed a small start-up company that produced mobile apps for public schools, and worked with various media outlets including the LA Times in both the editorial and technical areas. Meghan serves on the board of directors of Evolving Law Institute , a San Diego-based nonprofit organization focused on advancing public policy through technology to address emerging legal issues. In particular, ELI focuses on developing open source technologies to empower individuals in their interactions with law enforcement and other government services. As part of their efforts, ELI has created the "Cyber First" website, aimed at making government and law enforcement more responsive and accountable through greater use of technology.

Image courtesy of Pixabay.com User M.G., CC BY-SA 2.0. Image courtesy of Pixabay.com User M.G., CC BY-SA 2.0.

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are intended to explain EPA policy. They do not reflect the official policy of the EPA or the administration and are for informational purposes only. This article is originally posted on EcoWatch.

Image by Paola via Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 US, CCO 1.0 UniversalFreeDocumenting, CCO 2.0 US, CCO Public Domain. See more images at: What Is a BWC?

This post originally appeared on the Evolving Law Institute website.

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There are currently no comments highlighted. I need to be able to respond to them all! Disclaimer The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Any errors or omissions are the responsibility of the author.

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Conclusion

Body cams and body worn cameras are not just beneficial to police, as they also provide a better opportunity for officers to face problems without losing their jobs over it. BWCs are useful when there is no suspicion of wrongdoing, but when there is suspicion of wrongdoing body cams provide far more evidence than BWCs. Body cams are a great tool for police in general, but BWCs make them much more effective in every circumstance.

References

Bridgeman, L., (2015). Body Worn Cameras and Use-of-Force: A review on the effect of body worn camera systems in policing use-of-force investigations.