California is set to make history in such a way that some are calling the Los Angeles police force ‘Orwellian’.
After a debate discussing the pros and cons of the situation, the Los Angeles Police Commission voted in favor of equipping members of the LAPD with body cameras while on duty.
While this seems a bit like Big Brother coming after you when you get pulled over taking that red light, take a second to think why these cameras may need to be implemented and why you, as a law abiding citizen, need to trust an officer with one.
Los Angeles has an unfortunate reputation when it comes to police brutality, dating all the way back to the Rodney King riots, continuing today with a crime rate that is higher than the national average.
Body cameras would do well to help report crimes in a city where crimes range from petty to extravagant, helping ease citizens if and when a shooting were to take place. Video evidence has been a determining factor in many cases. While it may mean that more officers will be in the office filing paperwork about their videos, it is a fair tradeoff for safety.
Unless, of course, the LAPD decides to go the route of the San Diego Police Department, whose use of body cameras cannot be found on its front page, only through searching through reports and notes from June of last year.
This becomes a bit more concerning with the recent case of a veteran officer who did not turn on his camera before a fatal shooing occurred.
This is where the balancing act comes into play, as citizens and officers need each other to ensure that body cameras are used correctly. If an officer approaches you wearing a camera when he or she arrives, ask to make sure the camera is on and recording. Officers, do your job and turn on the camera so that these questions eventually do not have to be asked.
