Are there any valid stats on cops wearing cameras being good or bad?

[LaydeeBug]

Greetings from behind the grief curtain. I had to open an estate account today. It's like it made something final. I am *very* out of sorts about it.

I posted the Brown family's statement as my FB status today...and a guy I went to high school with said that cop cameras would cause problems. I have a hard time believing this.

Does anyone know if this has been tried and tested?

Thanks in advance...

[onecaliberal]

1. This has made news in California

http://www.policefoundation.org/content/body-worn-cameras-police-use-force

[LaydeeBug]

2. Thanks. this is awesome. nt

[JaneyVee]

3. "problems" = accountability.

[LaydeeBug]

5. My loser sister keeps telling the po po she is me when she gets pulled over or gets in an accident...

so a cop cam would do a LOT to stop people like me from paying for crimes by people like her.

Just sayin'...

[kydo]

6. don't know, but rethugs keep saying tax cuts and trickle down economics works

yet we have proof those don't work. So maybe go cameras on cops might be a good idea.

[TorchTheWitch]

8. some places have had them for a long time

Going buy what's said on cop forums they love them. A huge percentage of people try to lie about what happened in an encounter with an officer and they love it that they don't have to go through the he/she said he/she said problem of trying to get to the truth finding witnesses willing to talk, etc. It's all right there. They're also finding that once people realize that the local force uses them they're a lot more up front, courteous, and don't bother trying to pull the scams about what happened in order to try to get out of a ticket or shopping for a pay day concerning alleged abuse that didn't happen, or drugs in plain sight claimed to have been planted, etc. Makes their lives a hell of a lot easier and tends to keep everyone more honest. They loved the patrol car cameras for the same reason.

The body cams though they also get to play with whenever they run into something humorous to share like kids or animals doing funny/stupid stuff, interesting wild animal sightings, and of course bad ass cars. Then there's celebrities they've pulled over that they get to brag about meeting, and all the wacko characters they deal with all the time... crazy guy wearing nothing but an American flag cape waltzing with a telephone pole, weirdo they're talking to that's picking their nose and wiping their boogers on their face or eating them, girl trying to show off to her friends that she can put her ankles over her head behind her neck and gets stuck like that, teen that tried to hop an iron spike topped fence, got their pant leg stuck on a spike and hung upside down not being able to free themselves, squirrel/bird/other critter that gets in the cruiser and they can't convince it to leave, dog with someone they're talking to that pees on their leg or craps on their shoe, cat stuck in a mailbox, kid showing off how big a bubble he can blow with his gum, makes bubble as big as his head, bubble pops and gum envelopes his whole face and wraps around half of his head, etc., etc. Of course they've always told each other and their friends and family these oddball stories, but it's way more fun to have a video from the body cam and share it with co-workers, friends, family, put it on YouTube, facebook, cop forum, etc.

Ever noticed that police officers like to have conversations with someone they've stopped in the front of their cruiser where the encounter will be picked up by the car cam?

I actually don't know if my local police has them or not. I would think they would since they have a pretty fat budget, but getting equipment can be a bureaucratic nightmare. There's also the issue of some public opinion that think they're too invasive concerning privacy rights... local governments aren't always going to have everyone in approval of them.

I think they should be required for every cop of any stripe in the country. A shit load of bullshit disappears when the public knows they wear them.

Me thinks the guy you went to high school with may believe they'd cause problems is because he's bummed he doesn't get to try to scam a police encounter if they have them.