The Chesapeake Police Department in Virginia has drastically increased its use of video recording. The TASER Company reported on their website that in April of 2013 that Chesapeake deployed 85 additional AXON Flex cameras. These are small on-officer cameras with multiple mounting options and a 130 degree wide-angle lens. The video quality is surprisingly good. Growing evidence also suggests that the tiny video camera may be surprisingly good at protecting your constitutional rights.
Just this year, Judge Shira A. Scheindlin of the Federal District Court in Manhattan held that New York police officers used unconstitutional stop-and-frisk tactics for years. Statistical experts estimated that 4.43 million stops were conducted between 2004 and 2012. Her remedy to these warrantless, suspicionless seizures was unique: she ordered the officers from the worst offending precincts to wear video cameras to record their actions for one year.
A Cambridge University study showed that when the City of Rialto, California required its officers to wear video cameras, the use of force by officers dropped almost 60 percent and complaints filed by citizens against officers fell by 88 percent. A UK Study reported that many agencies experienced a 100% decrease in complaints.
An article by Ronald Bailey said it best “watched cops are polite cops.” They are also apparently (constitutional) law-abiding cops.
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