9 final

Milestone Three

Shawnette Howard

SNHU

WEEK 7

1/25/2021

Needs: Identify Needs

The departmental policy that has been chosen is the implementation of police officers having body-worn cameras. The relevant branch of a criminal justice system that will be affected or rather helped by the departmental policy is the law enforcement branch. The audio and the video recording from the body-worn cameras will be used as part of the evidence (Newark police division, n.d.). There are several needs of the public that will be addressed by the departmental policy. One of the needs is that the body-worn cameras will ensure that police brutality to the public is minimized. If such actions happen and the police did not record the audio and videotapes, they will have the reason. It will also contribute to the evidence provided, thus determining the person who was in the wrong. That will minimize arrests of innocent people.

Needs: Address Needs

The departmental policy addresses the public needs comprehensively. The first need is the reduction of police brutality. With the implementation of body-worn cameras, police officers must record their encounters with the public. Thus, in such a case, the police cannot act brutality as it will be recorded, and they will be punished (Lum, et al., 2019). Consequently, the body-worn cameras will constitute part of the evidence; thus, it will show the people in the wrong. That will prevent the police officers from accusing innocent people falsely. Thus, it will reduce the incarceration of innocent people.

Policy Recommendations: Policy Targeted

The departmental policy aspect that would be targeted is the activation of the body-worn cameras. The clause on when the law enforcement officers should wear the body-worn cameras should be revisited.

Policy Recommendations: Recommendations

The departmental policy aspect that would be improved is activation of the body-worn cameras. To make the departmental policy more effective, the police officers should be required to have the departmental cameras on as long as they are on duty except when they are at breaks or visiting the restroom. That would enable the body-worn cameras to function like CCTV. Thus, the video recordings may be used to inform more situations.

Policy Recommendations: Improve Delivery

Ensuring that the law enforcement officers have activated their body-worn cameras when on duty will be effective as it will record all the officers' time in duty. In some situations, the officer may activate the body-worn cameras resulting in some scenarios not being captured clearly or capturing half of some scenarios. Moreover, the body-worn cameras may be used to identify things that were happening in the police officer's patrol area.

Policy Recommendations: Appropriateness

The departmental policy recommendations are appropriate. The recommendations will significantly reduce police brutality since all their time in the shift is recorded. Thus, they will be discouraged from doing what they are not supposed to do or even breaking the law. That will promote justice in the area; thus, it will positively affect.

Policy Recommendations: Potential Impacts

The potential impact on the public is that they will have better interactions with the police officers. That is because the police officers will be friendly, and they will help in achieving law and order in the community effectively (White, 2015). That will impact the law enforcement branch of the criminal justice system positively. However, it will impede the police officer’s freedom as all of their activities will be recorded during their shift. The recommendation may be altered to allow the police officers to deactivate the body-worn cameras when not in action.

Policy Recommendations: Inform Implementation

The recommendation should be implemented to capitalize on the positive effects. However, when the police officers are not in action, they may deactivate the body-worn cameras to avoid recording their interactions with their colleagues, which would add junk to the audio and videotapes.

References

Lum, C., Stoltz, M., Koper, C. S., & Scherer, J. A. (2019). Research on body‐worn cameras: What we know, what we need to know. Criminology & public policy, 18(1), 93-118.

Newark police division. (n.d.). BWC Policy. ::Newark Police Division::. https://npd.newarkpublicsafety.org/bodyworncamera/policy

White, M. D. (2015). Police officer body-worn cameras.