Police Body Cameras Part II: Will Body Cameras Improve Policing in Florida?

This article discusses whether police body cameras would improve policing in Florida from a legal perspective. The author, who has experience representing a large police union, believes the answer is “maybe.” While it may seem like body cameras would make officers more accountable and improve policing, it’s not guaranteed. Law enforcement agencies are like any other workplace with management and labor dynamics, and officers may not always support each other when the truth doesn’t back them up. So, the impact of body cameras on policing in Florida is uncertain. Police officers face more scrutiny and discipline than firefighters. Because of this, it’s important for police departments and officers to work together to build trust, especially when it comes to using body cameras. This can be achieved through cooperation between the department and the officers’ unions. Ultimately, both the department and the officers’ unions are the most important parties in this matter. Movie-norman employers and their employees need to work together to make policing better. If police use body cameras, everyone involved needs to trust each other. They should make rules about using body cameras together. If they do this, it will help police defend their actions in court and with the public. This will also reduce the chance of the federal Department of Justice getting involved. The problem is that sometimes police departments don’t show officers the videos before asking them questions about what happened. This makes officers feel like they aren’t trusted. It’s not good for policing when officers are treated like suspects. Before July 1, 2009, law enforcement officers didn’t have the right to see video evidence of incidents before they were questioned in investigations. After the law changed, some agencies made procedures that didn’t allow officers to give their side of the story. This made officers not trust their agencies. Officers not being able to see body camera footage before being questioned will only make them trust their agency less. Sometimes, law enforcement agencies use investigative procedures that can hurt both their officers and the agency itself. The records from these investigations can be used against the officer and the agency by lawyers, the media, or citizen groups. This can create a lack of trust within the agency and the community it serves. It can also make it harder for the agency to work with the community to fight crime. This is not good for policing. Some police departments have rules that prevent officers from watching videos of violent encounters before they have to give a statement about what happened. This can cause distrust between the police and their bosses. This distrust can make officers hesitant to take action when they need to. It’s a problem for public safety and for the safety of the officers. Police officers feel like body cameras are a sign that their bosses don’t trust them. There hasn’t been much negotiation about using body cameras in Florida. Committees have been formed to talk about body cameras, but they don’t include representatives from the police unions. Some police departments are using these committees to avoid negotiating with the unions. Also, officers are not being allowed to see video evidence of their actions before they give a statement about what happened. This makes officers feel unsure about using body cameras, which goes against what the police departments want. The argument for not showing police officers video recordings of their use of force before they give their statement is that it might make them change their story to match the video. But, experienced law enforcement professionals know that officers’ accounts of these intense and fast-paced situations can be distorted by their memory and perception. This can make it harder for their employers to defend them in civil lawsuits later on. Basically, police officers’ memories of what happened in a deadly force encounter can be really inaccurate right after it happens. This can cause problems in legal cases and with their job. Video recordings from cameras on officers’ bodies can show things they didn’t remember, and can be used against them. So, why would officers want to cooperate in investigations of their use of force when they could just say they have the right to stay silent? It’s a challenge to figure out how to get officers to trust their bosses and work together to make policing better, especially when they’re being recorded and may not feel trusted. When police officers are involved in incidents where they have to use deadly force, they are more likely to cooperate with investigations if they feel like the process is fair. This means that their memory and perspective are not being unfairly challenged. It’s important for officers to be able to see video recordings of the incident before they are questioned about it, just like everyone else can. This helps them provide accurate information and ensures a better relationship between officers and the communities they serve. It’s not about protecting the officers, but about making sure that policing is done in the best way possible. Body cameras can only capture a narrow view and don’t show everything the officer sees or hears. Allowing officers to review recordings of their actions before answering questions helps them understand what happened. If officers aren’t allowed to review the recordings, they may not give accurate statements. It’s important for officers to cooperate in investigations, and we can find ways to support and encourage them to do so. Police officers in California can now watch body camera footage before writing reports and answering questions. This helps them do their job better without compromising their rights. Though there was some disagreement about this, it shows that officers and their employers can find a compromise. In June 2016, an arbitrator told the Oklahoma City Police Department to stop using body cameras until they could agree with the Fraternal Order of Police on how they would be used. One issue was whether supervisors could watch videos of officers using force. Officers already had the right to watch their own videos before giving a statement. The main goal of body cameras should be to make policing better, not just to catch officers doing something wrong. So, officers should have a say in how body cameras are used. Putting cameras on police officers will only improve policing if the officers trust their employers and if there are clear rules about when the officers can see the video recordings. In Florida, the laws about this are not very clear. The police union and the agency need to talk and make clear rules that everyone can agree on. So, maybe body cameras will help policing in Florida, but it’s not certain. As of now, it’s not clear if police body cameras are up for negotiation under Florida’s labor laws. The Department of Justice can review and stop law enforcement practices that violate people’s rights. There’s a law that says evidence must be given to police officers before they’re questioned in an investigation. Despite warnings, only one police department in South Florida has charged someone for making a false complaint. It’s against the law for employers to remove references to disciplinary actions from public records. And the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office has its own rules for handling these issues. Police officers’ investigative procedures may be subject to negotiation through collective bargaining. An article by the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers discusses how body cameras can protect the rights of the accused. A case involving the City of Oklahoma City and the Fraternal Order of Police dealt with supervision of body camera recordings.

Source: https://www.floridabar.org/the-florida-bar-journal/police-body-cameras-part-ii-will-body-cameras-improve-policing-in-florida/