Perceived Benefits of Body-Worn Cameras. 9 supposed to do.” The police departments in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Spokane, Washington are also implementing body-worn cameras to assist in complying with the collaborative agreements they entered into with the COPS Office of the U.S. Department of Justice. Chief of Police Xxxxxxx Xxxx of Los Angeles, whose department is testing body-worn cameras, understands first-hand how video evidence can help in these situations. “We exited our consent decree last year, and one of the reasons that the federal judge signed off on us was that we implemented in-car video,” said Xxxx. “Recordings can help improve public trust.” Evidence documentation Police executives said that body-worn cameras have significantly improved how officers capture evidence for investigations and court proceedings. Along with documenting encounters with members of the public, body-worn cameras can provide a record of interrogations and arrests, as well as what officers witness at crime scenes. Chief of Police Xxxxx Xxxxxx of Dalton, Georgia, described how body- worn cameras have helped officers to improve evidence collection at accident scenes. “It is always hard to gather evidence from accident scenes,” Xxxxxx said. He explained that officers are often focused on securing the scene and performing life-saving measures and that witnesses and victims may not always remember what they had told officers in the confusion. This can lead to conflicting reports when victims and witnesses are asked to repeat their accounts in later statements. “Unlike in-car cameras, body-worn cameras capture everything that happens as officers travel around the scene and interview multiple people. The body-worn cameras have been incredibly useful in accurately preserving information.” Some prosecutors have started encouraging police departments to use body-worn cameras to capture more reliable evidence for court, particularly in matters like domestic violence cases that can be difficult to prosecute. Chief Xxxxxxxx of Daytona Beach explained how body- worn cameras have changed how domestic violence cases are handled. “Oftentimes we know that the suspect is repeatedly abusing the victim, but either the victim refuses to press charges, or there is simply not enough evidence to go to trial,” he said. With the victim’s consent, Daytona Beach officers can now use body-worn cameras to videotape “Some police departments are doing themselves a disservice by not using body- worn cameras. Everyone around you is going to have ...
Perceived Benefits of Body-Worn Cameras. 7 Agencies are also reporting that, in most of these cases, the resolution is in support of the officer’s account of events. Chief of Police Xxxx Xxxxxxxx of Daytona Beach, Florida, recalled one example in which a member of the public threatened to file a complaint against officers following a contentious encounter. Alleging that the officers had threatened him and used racial epithets, the individual said that he would go to the news media if the department failed to take action. One of the officers involved had been wearing a body-worn camera. “We reviewed the video, and clearly the individual lied,” recalled Xxxxxxxx. “The officer was glad to have the footage because the individual’s allegations were absolutely not what was represented in the video.” Body-worn cameras have also helped to resolve more serious incidents, including officer-involved shootings. Chief Xxxxxx of Topeka said that the local district attorney cleared an officer in a deadly shooting incident after viewing the officer’s body-worn camera footage. Xxxxxx described how the camera footage captured the event in real time and provided a record of events that would otherwise not have existed. “The entire event was captured on video from the perspective of the officer. Now tell me when that happened before the advent of body-worn cameras,” said Xxxxxx. Several police departments, including those in Daytona Beach, Florida, and Greenville, North Carolina, are finding that officers with a history “The use of body-worn video by frontline of- ficers has real potential to reduce complaints of incivility and use of force by officers. The footage can also exonerate officers from vex- atious and malicious complaints. In addition, I feel there are benefits to the criminal justice system in terms of more guilty pleas, reduced costs at court, and a reduction in the num- ber of civil cases brought against the police service for unlawful arrest/excessive force. We already have good examples of body- worn video footage exonerating officers from malicious complaints.’’ – Xxxx Xxxxxx, Detective Chief Superintendent, Greater Manchester (UK) Police of complaints are now actively requesting to wear cameras. For officers who behave properly but generate complaints because they have high levels of activity or frequent contacts with criminal suspects, cameras can be seen as beneficial. “We all have our small percentage of officers with a history of complaints,” said Chief of Police Xxxxxx Xxxx of Greenville. “I...
