From Abigail Mills

Brodhead

To the editor:

I am a ninth grade student who has been writing a research paper on the use of police body cameras. This is somewhat personal because my father is a police officer himself. Lately, the news has been covering the terrible incident and tragic death of Mr. George Floyd. Even though my family and I back the badge, we do not agree with how the officers involved handled the situation at all and believe they abused their power and should be brought to justice. Now, more than ever, I believe police body cameras are crucial and should be mandatory.

Police body cameras help officers become more transparent to the communities they serve, offer reliable evidence in investigations, protects innocent officers from false accusations, and uncover the few disgraceful officers as we have seen in the media and news.

According to the director of the National Institute of Justice, David B. Muhlhausen, the cameras are used to expose situations officers face on a daily basis, and give an “unvarnished view” of these incidents the public views through the media. This way, the public would know the cold hard truth and facts, not just rumors.

I have learned there is no uniform policy that all departments have to adhere to. Each department sets their own policies for the use of body cameras. I believe we should reach out to our local law enforcement agencies, and even the state to mandate the use of the cameras for all officers and in all situations.