The aftermath of the Michael Brown shooting has had consequences on police departments across America. Chicago police could soon have to wear body cameras to possibly prevent future incidents like the Brown shooting in the future.
Michael Brown was an unarmed African-American teenager that was shot by a White police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. Unrest in the town followed for days as many disputed what events transpired that led to the shooting.
In response to the tumult and conflicting eyewitness and police accounts of what happened in Ferguson, police officers in the town have been issued body cameras to wear while they’re on duty. The cameras are battery-operated while recording audio and video. They can be worn on the officer’s uniform, on the shoulder, or can be attached to glasses.
The cameras were donated by two video surveillance companies, Safety Visions and Digital Ally. Those companies that provided the cameras said they wanted to assist in future incidents involving police officers and civilians.
“The city of Ferguson has gone through an unfortunate series of events and Safety Vision body cameras and flashlight DVR will assist in capturing prima facie evidence for investigations involving vandalism, looting, and shots fired,” said the statement.
Chicago police superintendent Gerry McCarthy said some officers are wearing the cameras as part of a pilot program. McCarthy may even wear one himself.
“There’s gonna be contractual obligations that we’re going to have to probably negotiate with the unions and so on moving forward, but at the end of the day, I would have no fear to wear a body camera on patrol,” said McCarthy.
Wearing body cameras is one of the rare issues that law enforcement and civil liberties groups find a consensus. While some civil libertarians say body cameras are an invasion of privacy, The American Civil Liberities Union ( ACLU) believes that the cameras will help protect civiilans.
McCarthy agrees that body cameras could be beneficial to use. “Who does it benefit? It benefits the officer,” said Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy.
