Washington, DC is Enacting Body Camera Program for Police Officers

The recent publicity surrounding police shootings and beatings has led many to call for more transparency within police forces around the country. According to USNews, the Washington, D.C., police department will be rolling out body cameras on their officers, after a six-month pilot program.

Executive director of D.C.’s Office of Police Complaints, Michael Tobin, explained to USNews:

“Body cameras are a nationwide trend. You can’t even really keep track of how many departments are moving to it. It’s going to be like dash cams were 10 years ago when every department that could afford them got them.”

Body cameras will provide valuable footage not only to prevent police brutality, but also show whether or not an officer used legal force against a suspect. This kind of technology could have been useful in the recent and extremely controversial trial in Ferguson, Missouri.

This measure will not be cheap, though. Some experts say that it could take over three years to implement, and nearly $1,500 per officer, according to the Washington Times.

The Obama Administration recently proposed $263 million in federal grants, that would match funds committed by local police departments to the body camera program.

Monica Hopkins-Maxwell, head of D.C.’s American Civil Liberties Union, says this is just a step in the right direction – not a perfect solution, according to USNews:

“Body cameras are simply a tool. Without the proper policies in place and constant enforcing of those policies… they’re not going to be a good tool. But they can be incredibly effective. We shouldn’t throw the baby out with the bath water and just say they’re not worth investing in because of one case that’s not a case of police mounted body cameras.”

Body cameras on police officers are a helpful tool, and a step in the right direction. But it will take a long time before we see these useful pieces of technology on every officer across the U.S.