Body Cameras And Evidence Of Police Actions
In 2016, the Baltimore Police Department began the rollout of its initial body worn camera (BWC) initiative. These cameras are quickly becoming a standard item on not only the Baltimore police, but on police officers nationwide. Not only do these cameras record actions taken by officers, but they help to deter and document any police brutality that may happen during an officer’s patrols.
If you need to start a new case due to police brutality in Maryland, you can always count on the lawyers at Murphy Falcon & Murphy. Our team has won millions of dollars in settlements throughout the years for our clients, and we are always working towards bringing justice to civil rights cases. Contact our Baltimore law offices today to start your consultation.
Advantages Of Body Worn Cameras
There are a variety of advantages to officers using body worn cameras in their day-to-day routines. One of these is increased accountability across the board. If there is an altercation that turns into police brutality, that altercation is now recorded on the officer’s own BWC and can be used as evidence in court.
BWC can also be advantageous to ongoing police investigations as they are able to capture images of suspects, and those images can help find criminals. No longer will the officer or eye-witnesses need to try and remember what a face looked like and create a sketch.
What Are Cameras Recording?
The short answer is that they are recording everything! In the first six months of the BWC program for Baltimore, more than 23,400 hours of recording were submitted. In those hours, there were more than 15,000 car stops and almost 16,000 arrests that were caught on camera. Since then, there have been thousands and thousands more hours of evidence compiled by the BWC program.
Should I Still Record Altercations?
One of the advantages of modern technology has been the ability of citizens to be able to record police altercations. This has led to greater officer accountability in the last few years, and has been able to spark civil rights movements throughout the nation. While the BWC on officers are meant to deter them from using excessive force, it may not always work that way, or they may not even be outfitted with body worn cameras yet. While the strides being taken in Baltimore and across the country to account for officer actions are wonderful, it is still always a good idea to have your own personal recordings of incidents just in case they end up being needed in court.
Start A Case Today
Murphy Falcon & Murphy will always call upon officer body worn camera footage when it is available and necessary, and our civil rights attorneys are here to help in the case of any police brutality. Contact our law office today to begin a consultation and to learn more about how BWC footage can be used in your case. We look forward to serving you and working toward the best possible outcome for your case.