Philosophy Podcast

Police officers should wear body cameras to allow for the gathering of unbiased evidence and to hold them accountable for their actions. This is important in addressing issues like racism, discrimination, and police brutality. Body cameras increase oversight and transparency, promoting trust and safety in communities. They provide reliable video evidence and help prevent biased or unreliable testimonies. By ensuring accountability through video recordings, we can create a more equitable and just society where everyone feels safe and respected. Hey guys my name is Vianna and I'm gonna be talking to you guys about how police officers should wear body cameras since it allows for people to gather evidence and it also allows for police officers to be held accountable for their actions both good and bad because there are many good things that police officers do but also unfortunately there are many bad things that do come from the abuse of police officers. I'm just gonna start off with some background information for you guys it is gonna get a little deep in here so just a little be careful and listen carefully. Racism and discrimination have been around for a very very long time and after many years we continue fighting the same battles. This continuous issue has made the lives of many people from different diverse communities very difficult and in this specific country sometimes it also has been made difficult to succeed. Let's just start off by stating the duties of what police officers do just a couple just so you guys are aware of that. Police officers their duties include protecting public safety, upholding the law, and serving as guardians for well-being of our community. Serving as a guardian to the community is a position of very high power and a position that needs respect and if the job is being well done there will be many many awards and thank yous from the community and also very good things that come to the community because there is mutual respect from the law enforcement and the rest of the community members. Power is something that has a strong correlation with authority, responsibility, and ethics since being a police officer basically they have to advocate for the right from wrong. This is something that should not be taken lightly since the dynamic that power holds over a person can be blinding and unfortunately it can make us do things that we do not want to do. It can create an ethical dilemma highlighting the accountability that comes with power and its protection of basic human rights. This specifically also looks into societal structures and the cultural norms that build the foundation in order to make sure that the power is not being misused or abused. Unfortunately in some cases it does end up discussing things about police brutality and how that causes just a reflection on the power, authority, and the ethical duties that law enforcement holds over society. I'm going to be talking to you guys specifically about an article named New Legislation Implementing Police Reform in New York which is written by Barry Kamins which discusses recent legislative reforms specifically looking at police accountability and the transparency in New York State. This is particularly focusing on regulations affecting New York City and the border broader state. We're going to be specifically talking about in this article about shielded police officers' personal records but now allows public access to most information while retaining some privacy protections. Additionally we will be talking about the criminalization of chokehold which was enacted following a very high-profile case in Staten Island resulting in some felony charges for officers who used this restraint method which can be deadly and in this specific case was deadly. The New York the New Yorkers Rights to Monitor Act permits citizens to record law enforcement activities and mandates the use of body-worn cameras by state troopers. These reforms aim to increase oversight and accountability for police conduct although some concerns about potential flaws in the investigative process and varying punishments for certain officers, sorry, certain offenses continue to persist. The article ends by highlighting ongoing efforts to assess the impact of these reforms on police operations and community relations. Accountability is vital. I'm going to say it again because it is vital in fighting police brutality, preventing misconduct, and rebuilding trust between law enforcement and the community itself. It measures like mandatory surveillance, citizens monitoring rights, and stricter regulations such as the Eric Garner Anti-Chokehold Act are essential for holding officers accountable and prioritizing safety especially for specific diverse groups. Upholding accountability promotes the transparency and strength justice and equality hold in society. By addressing all of these issues it brings to light how many people are struggling by the power that police officers hold and how this specifically allows for just better being able to gather evidence in a much more reliable way since you are getting video evidence and it also allows for the police officers to be held accountable for their actions. Unfortunately if the body cameras were not a thing, the police officers, it would be the word of the police officers versus the word of the witness or it'll start to become something like he said she said which is not reliable in some cases. It can be biased but in this case body cameras take out all of that. It takes out bias, it takes out the lying, it takes out much more than that and in this case it would substantially help holding officers accountable for their actions whether it is good to show future police officers what the right way of doing things is or just awarding somebody who did the right thing versus not having the body cameras which can also be very detrimental because if you are not recording anything that is going on you have no evidence. There is nothing that could be used against the victim or the police officer or anybody who is in trouble and needs evidence. Specifically talking about dealing with police brutality and how specifically using body cameras will ensure the accountability through the recording process which is vital for rebuilding trust between law enforcement and the communities which is essential because if there is mutual trust with a community and the law enforcement things in that community will prosper, things in that community will succeed, people will succeed, people will grow and so will the law enforcement. By holding officers accountable through the video recordings we can build a safer and more equitable society where everyone particularly those from diverse communities they feel safe and they feel respected. Likewise for the police officers they feel safe and they feel like they are respected from the community. The respect and feeling safe in a community is so important in building a much better society and for just people to grow out of their comfort zones and yeah upholding all of these principles is essential not only to maintain the public's trust but to also create a safer and more equitable society that upholds justice for all of its members. People from the community, the law enforcement, everybody that is in society will be will feel safe and it will be equitable since there is no bias in the body cameras nothing. So yep that is my argument as to why police officers should wear body cameras because how I explained to you guys it allows for people to gather evidence clearly without bias and the police officers are held accountable for their actions both positive and negative and yeah hope you guys enjoyed listening have a good one