Majority of civilians strongly support the use of body cameras by officers. It is considered an effective way of curbing misbehavior on duty. Regardless of public opinion there are also a number of other benefits for police officers if they wear body camera while on duty.
The benefits of using body cameras
It would not be an understatement when you say that the police officers have an extremely dangerous job to carry out. There are a number of occupational hazards associated with the line of work. There would be instances when an officer might have to address a situation which is violet and might come across unpredictable individuals. There are incidents when they might get injured or lose their life while on duty. Although body cameras may not be able to influence police behavior in stressful situations but it can actually help improve the safety. When an individual believes that they are being recorded they might have less aggressively if they felt that they are being recorded or someone might not know what they have done. A body camera which is in line with the officers line of sight is a deterrent for burglars and criminals.
Using a body camera can result in increased public confidence in police. There are a large number of individuals was strongly in favor of using these. It might be seen as the way of inspiring accountability in the officers around the country. It can help change the perception of the public and allowed them to feel more confidence in their officers. While these are not solely responsible for policing the whole population body cameras serve as a first step to developing good relations within the community.
The footage taken from body cameras can be used for training future officers as well. This is because we get to experience real life examples and learn from the situation. They can be alerted of high stress and high stakes jobs which come with a whole lot of responsibility. Body cameras also include audio which make them effective addition to a police training program. By looking at the experiences of other officers and how they behave in certain situations the new officers can accelerate the learning and learnt to defuse situations which might be potentially harmful for them.
It can also reduce instances of false accusations of police misconduct. There have been several instances when Police officers have been laid off duty despite no specific fault of their own. This might be due to either misunderstanding on behalf of the community or any member who might want to falsify them and spoil the name. If an officer is wearing a body camera it can seriously reduce misconduct complaints by up to 30%.
Personal body cameras backed by intuitive features are a practical solution for the officers. Most of these battery cameras are integrated with other officer tools. These are devices which are designed for life in the fields and police officers feel a word if they are able to upload the footage easily and attached to the case file. This means that they would spend less time typing and doing the paperwork and would spend more time serving the community.