A Leadership White Paper Submitted in Partial Fulfillment Required for Graduation from the Leadership Command College

Police departments need to change the way things are done. Society has a negative image of law enforcement, and some communities do not trust law enforcement officers. Some people do not even know why officers do some things in certain situations. The implementation of body cameras will show how the lives of officers are in danger and will show what officers did in situations, so the public will have a full explanation of what occurred. This will improve explaining what the officer encountered, what the officer did, and the amount of time an officer had to make a decision. The use of body cameras will remove an officer’s perception of the events that occurred and provide true, accurate accounts of the situation. By providing a true, accurate account of the situation, body cameras will show the recorded event as it unfolded, and it will not require filling in the blanks by the suspect, officer, or the community. Law enforcement officers across the nation should implement officer body cameras. Body cameras will improve officer safety, improve community safety, and improve efficiency by police agencies. New technology has given law enforcement a new tool that has shed new light on police interactions. Officers will be able to record incidents and bring more credibility to the law enforcement profession.