Tyler Leblanc Essays - Video Surveillance, Portable Electronics

Tyler Leblanc Essays - Video Surveillance, Portable Electronics Tyler Leblanc 10/9/17 CRJ 213. Admin CJ Prof. Metchik The Model Act For Regulating The Use Of Wearable Body Cameras By Law Enforcement (Boston) One of the greatest challenges that we must face as people is adjusting our way of living in the presence of change. Throughout history many events have taken place that have tested our ability to grow, forcing us to find a solution. Some of these answers came in the form of laws or legal documentation while others were new inventions such as machines during the industrial revolution, roads and even electronics. In recent years, one of the rising concerns the world has been confronted with is neglectful encounters between police and civilians. Although this has been a problem for decades, we have not chosen to take actions to fix it until its recent peak. From 2014 to the present day there has been a rise in deaths of officers and civilians during confrontation. With our old rules now not fitting our current ways of life, it was time to find a new approach to addressing this issue. The solution: body cameras. Many police departments have integrated the use of body cameras on their officers as a new system of collecting evidence and repairing the trust between officers and their community. Adding a new (words) also means modifying the rules that officers must follow. While not all cities that have a body camera program have documented policies and procedures, some do. This stands to educate both the officers that use them and the civilians that are exposed to them. The Boston Police Department and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) are only two examples of the many organizations that have made and publicized rule and regulations for using the body camera. Although many of the essential points made in both documents are similar, some differ. One of the areas that both the ACLU and Boston Police Camera Action Team (BPCAT) agreed on was the rights of the civilian in relation to being recorded. Officers must inform all civilians that they are wearing a body camera. If the civilian requests to not be recorded, then the officer is required to turn it off. If the officer fails to do this than they will be subjected to disciplinary actions. I agree with this procedure because it touches upon an already implemented law. Every person has the right to deny being recorded. Another topic that both forms agree on is when to turn the camera on and off. Officers are required to turn the camera on when they are in pursuit to a call and before they interact with any civilian. They must wait until the full duration of the event and will then turn the camera off. I agree with this because officers should only be granted the right to record in an appropriate setting. If officer's were allowed to record when they pleased they could turn the recording on and off to portray the course of events in their favor. Although both parties decide on when to turn the camera on they do not agree to the scenarios in which the camera should not be activated at all. The ACLU does not go into much detail regarding this topic. What is interesting however, is that they mention specifically that cameras shall not be turned on in the presence of an elementary or secondary school. No were else did the article articulate instances where the camera shall not be used other than unrelated cases or those that would go against ones first amendment rights. On the other hand, the BPCAT lists several scenarios in which camera may not be used. Some examples include if "A civilian is partially or fully unclothed" and "To protect the identity of a confidential reliable informant". I agree with the BPCAT. I think it is just as important to highlight when to use the camera as it is to mention when not to use the camera. Due to the fact that the ACLU's policy does not go into detail about this topic it could cause further misunderstanding in the system. By naming at least a few instances when the body camera cannot be used the BPD