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Kyrese Vereen
Ms. Mantlo
English 4
06 October 2016
Police Brutality

Police brutality is hot top in today society. Many incidents of excessive force from
officers have been brought up in the recent years. Many deaths have been occurring from the
excessive force from officers. Recent cases have been thought to be a racial debate and or
discrimination against African Americans. In some incidents, some individuals have died
from force. Numerous people feel that justice has not taking place in these cases or that citizens
need to be protected more. These emotions from us citizens started the Black Lives Matter
movement in June 2013, seeking integrity and equality to blacks. With our technology advancing
several citizens think that officers should wear body cameras. If police departments started
wearing body cameras, will they have useful evidence and will the complaints of police brutality
decrease.
The attention of wearing body cameras has risen around the nation over the years. The
use of these devices are to help the police departments and the public. These devices are
commonly believed to achieve several aims, including reducing police use-of-force and
complaints against officer, enhancing police legitimacy. (Ariel, William, and Sutherland).
Meaning that these cameras will provide us with evidence that can help the police departments in
case with a complaint of excessive force and racial discrimination. According to Ariel, William,
and Sutherland, officers in a precinct of A New York Police Department with the highest

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volume of stop-and-frisk to wear body-worn-cameras in order to prevent racial profiling. In this

Article, the study shows that in this case that by wearing body cameras there a fewer complaints
of police brutality.
More and more studies are being taken to see if body cameras are beneficial to police
departments. Interest in body-worn-cameras (BWCs) has grown rapidly among law
enforcement agencies nationwide, ever since controversial police use-of-force incidents.
Elliott, Vivian, and Kurtenbach ). According to Schiff, Adams, studies done in localities that
have implemented body-worn-cameras have shown a positive impact. These studies are showing
us that cameras are useful and valuable. Since studies are showing that body cameras are good,
should body cameras be enforced to all police departments nationwide.

Lots of departments like the ideas of having body cameras, but cannot afford the expense
of them. To disburse 50 thousand cameras to officers across the country, it would cost 75 million
dollars in funding. (Globe and Mail ). Since body cameras are expensive less than a few police
departments have them. Even though body cameras have shown to have a positive impact, they
are not used in every department because of the cost.

The studies proved that body cameras are beneficial to departments and citizens. Since
body cameras are expensive to provide to officers across the country, one day most departments
will have them implemented.
Works Cited
Ariel, Barak, William Farrar, and Alex Sutherland. "The Effect Of Police Body-Worn Cameras
On Use Of Force And Citizens' Complaints Against The Police: A Randomized

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Controlled Trial." Journal Of Quantitative Criminology 31.3 (2015): 509. Advanced

Placement Source. Web. 20 Sept. 2016.

Elliott, Vivian, and Mike Kurtenbach. "Cops and Body-Worn Cameras." Public Management
(00333611) 97.10 (2015): 6. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 9 Sept. 2016.

"Police weigh pros and cons of body cameras." Globe & Mail (Toronto, Canada) 2015: Opposing
Viewpoints in Context. Web. 23 Sept. 2016.