Police body camera benefits have been tried and true: the Pew Research Center reports that 93% of the public approve of the body cam. Not only does the use of body cameras provide a more cooperative and trusting public, it ensures the accountability of the officer in question. A study in California showed the incredible benefits of using body cams: a 60% drop in force by officers wearing the cameras. Plus, body cams make it even easier to get great footage for the next COPS episode, if they’re still making those.
According to a study by Pew, only 50% of police officers believe in police body camera benefits, while as many as 93% of officers worry about their safety on the job. Body cams create a safer work environment for the officer by making their presence acceptable in the eye of the public; Pew notes that many police department administrators say body cams will increase the level of cooperation between civilian and officer. It all breaks down to the accountability of the officer: the police are around to ensure the safety of the civilians they have sworn to protect, but many fear that the police takes advantage of these systems. The body cams will ensure clarity between the two groups; the body camera will protect both the officer and the civilian if they are implemented properly. There simply isn’t room in today’s climate for an officer of the law to go without some type of body camera.
However, it can be tough to afford all this high-tech gear. The police body camera benefits are innumerable when put into action, but they’re pricey to utilize in local departments that receive little funding in comparison to the larger state police. Luckily, the use of dash cameras are on the rise: there has been a 61% jump in the use of in-car video cameras in the last 18 years and companies like 10-8 Video are made to help agencies with lower budgets achieve the same police body camera benefits as the larger departments.
Police dash cam systems are a popular addition to the body cam mission. These cameras will still ensure the accountability of the officer while they are on duty and still aid in the acceptance of police officers on duty by the public. Plus, with everything being recorded, who wouldn’t want to look to the camera to review that license plate or suspect profile like a movie detective? In all seriousness, nearly a third of the thousands of police departments within the U.S. were using body cameras by 2015. It’s essential for all police departments, whatever the size, to utilize the growing technology built to keep with world safe. With safety being a top priority both for the officer and the civilian, police body camera benefits are priceless.