With the recent controversy in North Charleston over the death of Walter Scott, the nationwide debate over visible police brutality and body cameras rages on at the Statehouse.
We are proud that USCPD already requires their officers to wear body cameras. The proactive step in 2012 to make them mandatory means they are one of the few departments in the state that has this useful and important tool.
We support the efforts of legislators pushing to make body cams mandatory. Although they have been advocated now because of police brutality and controversy, they can be valuable in everyday duties like collecting evidence or training officers. Much like dashboard cams, they should be seen as a necessary aspect of the job and not just a luxury or a nice idea.
Even though some see them as unnecessary scrutiny of the officer wearing them, we think they help protect both parties. Citizens can rest assured that officers will be held accountable if they abuse their power. Several cases of officers doing just that have made clear that action is needed. Officers can rest assured there will be proof to uphold their side of the story as well. Hopefully it will make investigations into difficult or even deadly interactions easier.
The cameras themselves are expensive, but the cost is worth it to help with community relations, collection of evidence, protection for officers from lawsuits or charges and the way police officers themselves are viewed.
Body cameras will not be a cure-all to the problems that sometimes plague law enforcement and video evidence doesn't always lead to swift justice. Making sure officers use them properly will require discipline, training and procedures. But USCPD serves as a good example of a department that uses them, and we think that adopting them statewide is a good idea.