Police Body Cameras — Destroying Community Policing One Conversation at a Time
Throughout the history of policing in the United States, police officers have always been required to discharge their duties without bias or prejudice, and a police officer’s word has traditionally been given deference and almost always accepted as truth (or, at least, a more accurate version of the truth).
Over time, however, that trust has eroded. Sensationalized media coverage of a relatively small number of police misconduct incidents has legitimized the growing anti-police sentiment. Many of the modern cases of police abuse have surfaced after pictures or video of an incident emerged. Citizens are now being encouraged to record video of law enforcement activity.
For example, in an effort to capture video of police misconduct, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) developed a free mobile phone application which allows citizens to secretly record video of police interactions.
With the proliferation of mobile video and the general erosion of public confidence in the police, law enforcement agencies are rapidly adopting body-worn cameras (BWC) programs. On the surface, this seems to be a great idea. Several studies have shown there to be positive effects on the behavior of the police and the public when they know their actions are being recorded.
But is there an unintended consequence to BWC?
Police departments around the country are trying to figure out how to reestablish trust within the community. From Ferguson to Baltimore, law enforcement has been marred by bad press — some of it deserved; some of it unwarranted.
The true challenge for law enforcement is to develop programs that bring the community and the police back together. Without active support by the community, poling becomes increasingly adversarial. The result is a criminal justice system built on statistics in which success is measured by the number of arrests. Many law enforcement leaders believe the solution is to implement ‘true’ community poling initiatives. This requires the police to get out of the car, shake hands, and get to know the citizens and their concerns.
How comfortable are you having a casual conversation with your local police officer if you are being filmed the entire time?
How honest and genuine will that conversation feel?
For community policing to work, the public has believe the police are committed to fostering that relationship. Strict BWC programs that require police officers to record all public interaction during their entire shift could inhibit that relationship.
BWC cameras are coming whether we like it or not. Let’s use a common sense approach to the adoption of this technology and ensure it does not become yet another unintended barrier between the police and those they are sworn to protect.
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