Law enforcement departments have always thought that using personal body cameras is a significant way of enforcing better policing operations and increasing accountability among police officers. However, there is still a good number of police officers who still believe that using body cameras is not a good idea for them. Before you start investing in body cameras for your police officers, it is essential that you also consider if they want to use the body cameras.
Also, learning what makes them feel that using body cameras could be a better idea for them. In this article, you will understand why not all police officers want to use personal body cameras.
Reasons Why Some Police Officers Are Against the Use of Personal Body Cameras
While personal body cameras come with so many benefits, there are so many police officers who still think that they should not use them while working. Some of the major reasons why police officers feel that they should not use personal body cameras include;
- It restricts police privacy
When police officers wear personal body cameras, they always record the incidents occurring in their day-to-day activities. This means that from when you start your shift until you end your shift, you will be required to record everything that happens around you. Wheth er criminal activities are happening or not, personal body cameras will always have footage.
Due to this reason, personal body cameras will always limit the privacy of police officers as well as civilians. Even if you want to participate in any personal activity during your shift, the body camera is supposed to stay on, which means they will still capture the footage of you on your business. In addition, you cannot damage the footage once the personal body cameras record any footage since the state owns the footage. This means that though body cameras are essential in police departments, they inhibit the privacy of police officers using personal body cameras.
- Some personal body cameras record poor video quality
Another reason why some police officers are against the use of personal body cameras is that some body cameras record poor video quality. One of the reasons why the video quality of police officers’ records can be poor is because the police officers are always on the move when making the recording. Also, the working environments and lighting will affect the video quality they record. If the video quality could be better, it would be easier for the police officers to interpret the video.
- Personal body cameras are quite expensive
Personal body cameras come at varying prices depending on the brand of the cameras and the quality of these personal body cameras. However, investing in these body cameras can be costly for most police departments. In case you have a small police department, it can be challenging for you to afford to invest in these devices.
- They do not always help in the investigation
Not all people will feel comfortable when they are around personal body cameras. This means that if you are conducting an investigation or interview, personal body cameras may hinder some people from interacting with police officers. This means that personal body cameras are only sometimes suitable for investigations .
- It affects the safety of police officers
If you are using personal body cameras in a place where there are people under the influence of alcohol and drugs, you will realise that they will react differently when you are filming them. In most cases, such people will always be harsh to the police officers, affecting their safety when working in dangerous environments.
Now that you know why not all police officers want to use personal body cameras, you can decide whether to invest in these devices for your police departments. In case you convince your police officers that these devices can still offer more benefits than disadvantages, consider investing in them. Comvision supply a range of body cams that have specific features that you may want to have.