The Use Of Police Force Against Unarmed Civilians

A growing problem in our communities today is the excessive use of police force against unarmed civilians. There are many different types of excessive force used by the police and the news has become saturated with stories of officers killing, or severely maiming unarmed civilians. Just recently a 57 year old man was on his morning walk in Alabama when he was left partially paralyzed by an officer who threw him to the ground even though he was not resisting or fighting the officer. All around the country more and more instances of police brutality are occurring. Body cameras, an increase in training, external investigations, and stricter regulations for hiring officers are all options that will help to reduce police brutality in our†¦show more content†¦Most importantly, body cameras on officers will stop police brutality before it even happens. If an officer knows that they are being recorded, they are less likely act out of line for fear of the consequences. The effectiven ess of body cameras has already been demonstrated in police departments around the country. According to Prall,In Rialto California, it was found that officers wearing body cameras had almost 90% fewer complaints than those who did not wear body cameras. One of the arguments against the use of body cameras is the cost that comes with them. â€Å"In Miami-Dade, the estimated cost of supplying and maintaining 500 cameras was 1.4 million dollars†(Prall). Many people, especially taxpayers, may think that this is too high of a cost to be worth it, especially in areas where the number of police brutality incidents is low. However, in the long run, body cameras could end up saving the city money through preventing law suits. Especially in cities where there are many incidents of police brutality. Just recently the family of Eric Garner is suing the state of New York for $75million dollars after he lost his life in a police encounter. If the case is lost it will be a big blow to the city and $1.5million dollars in cameras will seem like an insignificant number compared to the $75million lost. These incidents could have been stopped if body cameras were implemented. The