After the events surrounding the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO, police have been under public scrutiny for using excessive force. As a result, many police departments around the country are starting to invest in police body cameras to hold their officers more accountable, show an accurate portrayal of the situations they encounter, and create transparency with the public.
But will these body cams be effective? Chief Tony Farrar, Executive Fellow of the Police Foundation, conducted a yearlong study to evaluate the effectiveness of police wearing body-cams while on duty. In a 12-month period, there was a 50% reduction in the number of use-of-force incidents among the officers wearing the cams when compared to the control group (officers who were not wearing the body-cams).
Just recently in Celina, TX, a police officer responding to a domestic disturbance call was able to capture an altercation between him and suspect on the body cam the officer was wearing. The video shows the suspect attempting to punch the officer in order to try and get away and the officer tackling him to the ground in response. Below is a video of the incident: