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Argumentative Essay On Body Cameras

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Only five states in America have laws that require the use of body cameras. In addition, there are six states that have eavesdropping laws in place in relation to government officials. Lastly, there are eighteen states and the District of Columbia that have legislated how body-worn camera data is addressed under open record laws (“Body-Worn Camera Funding”). In recent years, the discussion of how states should regulate the use of body cameras and the ethics of body cameras as an moral solution to police brutality has spiked due to the easier access to smart phones and the greater publication of altercations between police and civilians. These discussions have lead this topic to ultimately become a controversy across America. The most common …show more content…

Lastly, there are those who fear body cameras, which alone, are not a practical or useful solution for fighting police brutality.
To begin, many people believe that body cameras are a useful tool for combating police brutality; however, they believe that this will only be possible when policies are created on how and when to use the body cameras and the availability of the footage. Mr. Henry Gass is one stakeholder who identifies with this viewpoint. Gass is a reporter for The Christian Science Monitor who focuses on criminal justice and strives to help end racial inequality within America. To further his argument, that having clear policies are the only way this technological advancement will benefit us, Gass provides a quote from Dr. Tod Burke. Dr. Burke, a professor of criminal justice at Radford University and former Maryland police officer, states that if American citizens want true transparency and accountability from police officers, the American government must decide to release the footage from the cameras as soon as possible. However, we must also realize that Americans and media sources should not interfere with an investigation to a point where we produce a trial-by-media (Gass 3). In addition to Mr. Gass, Mr. Martin Kaste hosts a podcast titled All Things Considered that

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