After unrest over shooting, Ferguson police now wear body cameras

[chaya]

Police officers in Ferguson, Missouri, have begun wearing body cameras after weeks of unrest over the shooting death of an unarmed black teen by a white officer and sharply differing accounts of the incident, officials said on Sunday

Comments

[moonbladem]

That's good news that they're using body cameras. My main concerns are whether they'd be able to edit or delete their encounters, or "forget" to turn them on or claim equipment malfunction, especially when it's not favorable for them.

[chaya]

Unfortunately this already happens - cops "accidentally" turning the cameras off while on duty.

[skittish_derby]

or 'losing' footage.

[idemandjustice]

There should be severe consequences for that.

[fenris_lorsrai]

excellent icon choice for posting.

Hopefully the cameras help provide the evidence needed to eliminate the officers that are abusing their power and need to be canned and ALSO helps restore confidence in the police department. because clearly nobody has any confidence in their ability to do their job at all, let alone do so fairly and without bias. having a record of the interaction should help greatly with that.

[muppetfromhell]

this is like the vaguest reporting ever... oh was there unrest?

"Some stores were looted in nightly protests, and police responded with riot gear and moved in military equipment to try to quell the turmoil."

<-- that is not what happened at all.

[crossfire]

Operation: Sweep Ferguson Under The Rug is in full swing.

[wrestlingdog]

I do think this is a good idea- aside from the methods of erasing footage/not turning on the cameras mentioned above. I hope that doesn't become widespread.