Studies Show the Benefits of Police Car and Body Cameras

For years, law enforcement departments across the country have toyed with the idea of implementing police in car video systems and body cameras, trying to decide if the equipment for their patrol cars and officers was necessary. Over 70% of state and highway police vehicles are currently equipped with cameras, but until recently local police agencies haven’t adopted the use of cameras in such great numbers. As a result of the controversy that broke out after the police shooting in Ferguson, MO, many law enforcement departments are racing to purchase video equipment for either their cars or officers. Police in car video cameras and body cameras have a number of benefits for both the police force and the public. They improve transparency, provide unbiased video evidence, improve both officer and citizen safety and allow law enforcement agencies to keep track of and address inappropriate officer behavior. While in car camera systems and body cameras can help in many ways, some agencies are still hesitant to start using them because of controversy over guidelines of video use and storage. Solidified rules will need to be established in order to create a more universal approach to improving the relationship between police and the public through cameras, but there is no denying that agencies that have implemented camera systems have had success. The first ever study of the success of police cameras came in 2012 in Rialto, CA. The police department in this west coast city conducted a year-long test of body cameras by equipping half of its 115-officer force with cameras. What they found was a significant drop in public complaints against the police, as well as a huge drop in the use of force by officers. In the two years before body cameras were implemented, use-of-force incidents averaged 65 per year, according toUSA Today. After a year of using body cameras, this dropped to just 25 incidents. Complaints against officers in the department also fell from 38 to three. Studies continue to test the effectiveness of police in car video systems and body cameras as more departments choose to use them, and the results so far have been promising.