Posted on Wednesday, May 6th, 2015 at 10:24 pm
Earlier this week, the Department of Justice allocated $20 million to help police departments across the country purchase body cameras for their officers. As indicated by deputy chief of operations Joe Gallo, the Champaign Police Department is considering taking the DOJ up on their offer to outfit the city’s officers with the body cameras, which cost anywhere between $800 to $1000 each.
While Gallo points to the advantages of equipping police officers with body cameras—especially in cases where the conduct of an officer is put into question—he also admits there are a number of logistical and technical issues that will need to be worked out before they can be effective. In particular, Gallo voiced concern over the sheer volume of video that would be accrued on a daily basis.
Tom Bruno of the Bruno Law Offices concedes that the use of body cameras for police officers may be an effective tool with which we may confront police misconduct, but contends that there are deeper issues that we still need to confront as a society.
As quoted by The Daily Illini, Bruno asserts that “[t]here have been cases where we wish there might have been a video camera to know the truth better about certain circumstances, like Ferguson, Missouri, so it (is) a compelling argument for body cameras.”