Body cams will benefit law enforcement

It has been astounding to witness the avalanche of incidents recently that have tarnished the reputation of our nation’s police officers.

Ironically, it was the shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, that focused the nation’s attention on the possibility of rogue cops. The officer involved in that case was eventually and unequivocally vindicated as having done nothing wrong, but now every few weeks, some cop somewhere is videotaped doing something that someone finds fault with.

In some cases, video has shown that the officer was justified in the use of force, but in other cases serious questions were raised about poor training, bad judgment and even malice. Those cases will all play out in the court of public opinion, as well as in criminal courts, but one thing is clear: Video is a valuable tool in getting to the truth of what happens in deadly encounters involving police.

Police who need to use force against a suspect are going to ultimately be protected if video exists of the incident. That way, suspicions can be allayed, and Ferguson-style tensions can be avoided.

And if the officer wasn’t in the right, video will serve to protect the entire community by shining a light on the problem.

Moreover, the presence of the camera will be a constant reminder to police that they must be on their best behavior at all times. While police work is dangerous and highly stressful, those aspects of the job cannot be used to justify inappropriate interactions with the public. 

It may seem like the problems of Ferguson are far away from Kalispell and Flathead County, but the fact of the matter is that when local police are involved in violent encounters, many of the same questions arise about appropriate use of force.

Fortunately, the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office is taking steps to ensure that in future encounters, there won’t be any room for doubt. Deputies will soon be outfitted with body cameras that will record all their interactions with the public, whether violent or not. 

Policies and procedures will need to be worked out to ensure that the cameras do not serve to intimidate witnesses or interfere with the work flow of deputies, but in general we think this update will serve the community and the sheriff’s office well.