Criminal Justice

The Use of Body Worn Cameras

Several measures have been implemented over time to enhance the effectiveness of the law enforcement sector. Among these options are the body-worn video cameras that police officers employ during their patrols and by criminal investigative officers or journalists. The body-worn video cameras have proved beneficial by promoting efficiency, accuracy, and reliability of the information provided by law enforcement.

The body-worn cameras are usually miniature and are placed on the officers' clothes in hidden places. These could be around; the chest area, where they can be disguised as buttons; the head region, where head gears are used to harbor them; or the neck region, where ties, necklaces, or garment collars can be used for camera attachment. The cameras take audio and visual recordings of the occurrences at the criminal sites ("How and when BWV cameras are used," n.d.). The cameras are positioned in a manner enabling those watching the footage to see the events from the perspective of the officer wearing them. The recordings are later transferred to a more secure location at the end of the officer's shift, where they are used as evidence to back up investigations or presented before the courts of law ("How and when BWV cameras are used," n.d.). Most of these cameras are opted for in the event of a special operation for investigation purposes. These may include; investigation of a possible crime, for proof of transparency in cases of a search or raid, and as aids in writing a report concerning a specific mission ("How and when BWV cameras are used," n.d.). Therefore, this way, the police officers can acquire and record information securely without arousing any suspicion that could place them in danger.

Using body-worn video cameras enhances the ability of police officers to encounter the public. This enhances the civilians' perspective of law enforcement as transparent and legitimate (Braga et al., 2017). The quality of providing police services in the communities is therefore improved. Based on evaluation evidence, the purposeful and non-purposeful outcomes of using body-worn cameras are progressively enhanced. According to Braga et al. (2017), from a study on the importance of body-worn cameras, the authors established that the officers wearing the cameras encountered lesser complaints and minimal reports of the use of force. The findings were compared to the police officers without body-worn cameras, and the latter had more complaints reports. The officers with body-worn cameras made more arrests and issued more citations than their counterparts. A cost-benefit analysis was carried out, which showed that increased savings were realized due to the reduced complaint reports against the police officers (Braga et al., 2017). Moreover, the time spent in resolving the cases within the police department was reduced. Thus, this shows that the use of body-worn cameras has positive influences while minimizing operation costs and saving time.

The use of body-worn cameras has indeed improved the operational efficiency of the police officers, where accurate information from live footage is acquired. All of these enhance the reliability of law enforcement since the evidence used for investigation is considered strong. In addition, using these cameras has positively influenced police-civilian encounters, where trust and close relations are encouraged. This has contributed to effective policing approaches by the police officers while minimizing costs.

References

Braga, A., Coldren Jr, J., Sousa, W., Rodriguez, D., & Alper, O. (2017). Benefits of body-worn cameras: new findings from a randomized controlled trial at the las Vegas metropolitan police department | office of justice programs. Ojp.gov. https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/benefits-body-worn-cameras-new-findings-randomized-controlled-trial.

How and when BWV cameras are used. Metropolitan Police. https://www.met.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/bwv/body-worn-video-bwv/how-and-when-bwv-cameras-are-used/