Feeney, Matthew. “DuBose Killing Highlights Importance of Police Body Cameras” www.cato.org. Cato Institute, 29 July 2015. Web. 3 August 2015.
The controversy I am discussing is the use of body cameras on police uniforms. This article relates to my first primary source because it enhances a premium recent example of camera use on officers. The first article I used explains reasons why police officers should wear cameras. This article follows the discussion, but focuses on a very specific incident that further glorifies the push for all police officer’s to wear body cameras. This article teaches me that the speaker is very informative about the event and the overall controversy. The source also effectively explains in detail the reasoning behind the advantage of the use of cameras to an audience that cares for overall safety, security, and justice. The article wants to truly make the audience understand the importance of camera use on officers.
Author of this article, Matthew Feeney, is credible due to his writing which references recent and relevant information such as statements from local authority figures in Hamilton County, in which the incident occurred. Feeney is a policy analyst at the Cato Institute, but worked at Reason magazine as assistant editor before coming to Cato. He has also worked for The American Conservative, the Liberal Democrats, and the Institute of Economic Affairs. The Cato Institute is a public policy research organization dedicated to the principles of individual liberty, limited government, free markets and peace. Cato is believed to be a trusted source due to its scholars and analysts conducting independent nonpartisan research on a wide range of policy issues for the public. This article also presents element’s that indicate careful research such as the placed evidence of a NBC NEWS video that shows the officer involved in the incident body cam footage.
Feeney begins the article with the backstory of the University of Cincinnati police officer Ray Tensing shooting and killing 43-year-old Samuel DuBose on July 19th during a traffic stop. Stating that Tensing will face murder and manslaughter charges, Feeney provides statements from Hamilton County prosecutor Joe Deters. Deters calls the killing “senseless” and openly states “the body camera footage of the killing was invaluable. Without it, many would probably have believed Tensing’s erroneous account of the incident.” Referring to the knowledge of Tensing creating lies that he was dragged by DuBose’s vehicle.
Feeney then states “DuBose’s death demonstrates once again that body camera are not police misconduct stoppers.” Further explaining this statement, Feeney reinstates the fact the Tensing knew his body camera was on, but ultimately continued to shoot the unarmed man in the head over a simple missing license plate dispute. Nonetheless, the incident does provide how body camera footage can be useful to officials investigating allegations of police misconduct.
Statements from Cincinnati Police Chief Jeffery Blackwell are then introduced by Feeney. Blackwell states that technology that highlights incidents of police misconduct must be welcomed by advocates of accountability and transparency in law enforcement. Deters then adds, “the body camera led to Tensing’s murder indictment” as his conclusion.
Overall, Feeney results to statements from Blackwell and Deters to set motion his claim that police officers should wear body cameras. Because, as Feeney states, “if it weren’t for the body cam footage, Tensing will still be employed as a Cincinnati police officer rather than being behind bars.” Concluding that in the case of Dubose’s killing, a camera can be instrumental in investigating police misconduct and getting dangerous officers off the streets.
I agree with the author of this article. Police misconduct has been an issue for many years and recently there have been many major cases of them throughout the U.S. In most of these cases the police officer involved usually gets the judge on his side because of the lack of evidence. If police officers start wearing a body camera the judge would know the actual truth of what went on.
Body cameras are a great idea, because police officers are normal people who also make mistakes. The thing is, they think they are the law and whatever they say goes which is most of the time false. If retail workers and every other workforce job has to have cameras then police officers are no exception.
With all that has been going on in recent years involving police officers and their abuse of power, I absolutely agree that officers should have to wear body cameras. Body cameras won’t get rid of the issues that officers create, but I believe that they are a great first step in the right direction. If camera footage can determine the truth then I’m all for it.
It’s pretty disappointing when the people that are supposed to protect us need to wear a camera because they aren’t protecting us. In fact, the total opposite. Which really makes you wonder, why are these people cops? Shouldn’t we be able to trust them enough to do the right thing without having to watch them like little kids? Sad.
I have always been a support and respect for the police. I actually have family who have been police officers. So its sad to see that there are still police out there that are mistreating the citizens who they have sworn to protect. I do agree that we should have cameras on our officers of the law. I just wish we didn’t have to come to this at all.
It is so crazy to think that police brutality is an ongoing issue when these are the people who are supposed to be protecting us. I think that all officers should be required to wear body cameras as this would provide us with actual evidence as opposed to relying merely on their word which, unfortunately, cannot always be trusted.