It's funny - I *just* watched the latest Rookie Blue episode in which they introduced these cameras as well, together with the various advantages and disadvantages (in a drama setting, of course).
If I was a cop I'd hate to be taped for the duration of my shift, with every tiny little thing I talked to my partner about being stored for all eternity. There'd be little to nothing private you could talk about anymore without weighting your words. (And I would *definitely* forget to switch mine off when going to the bathroom! *yikes*)
I'm not sure sticking these cameras to every member of the police force would be legal in my country, to be honest. Maybe in extreme situations, like during demos etc. (after a judge signed off on it), but not for a normal day.
That being said, obviously there are clear advantages to having these cameras around, for all affected parties, so it's necessary to investigate their usefulness even further.
In 10 years or so having body cams could be completely normal for police officers.
I can't imagine that being legal in Germany, no, particularly if the records were stored for any amount of time, as they would be if they were to be useful.
For a bare minimum, having the camera on should be a requirement for making an arrest. From engagement or arrival on the citizen's property, up through the ride to the station. An officer should know to turn it on at the beginning of any kind of engagement with the public that could possibly lead to needing to arrest someone. If an unrecorded arrest is made, the consequences would probably only be disciplinary, but ideally it should affect admissibility as with Miranda law.
Even with full freedom otherwise, thus staying well clear of all the privacy side effects they're worrying about, this one rule would address the majority of the problem of police conduct.
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If I was a cop I'd hate to be taped for the duration of my shift, with every tiny little thing I talked to my partner about being stored for all eternity. There'd be little to nothing private you could talk about anymore without weighting your words. (And I would *definitely* forget to switch mine off when going to the bathroom! *yikes*)
I'm not sure sticking these cameras to every member of the police force would be legal in my country, to be honest. Maybe in extreme situations, like during demos etc. (after a judge signed off on it), but not for a normal day.
That being said, obviously there are clear advantages to having these cameras around, for all affected parties, so it's necessary to investigate their usefulness even further.
In 10 years or so having body cams could be completely normal for police officers.
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Because yeah...
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Even with full freedom otherwise, thus staying well clear of all the privacy side effects they're worrying about, this one rule would address the majority of the problem of police conduct.
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