If they've decided to classify body cams as "surveillance" --- and, fair enough, I guess --- then really all they're going to need long term is an atlas of every law enforcement agency in the country.
Body cams are qualitatively different in the way they are used. For example if they are used in domestic violence cases, they can be harmful. If cops are not disciplined for turning them off when encountering citizens they are meant to protect, they provide an inaccurate story, usually slanted in cops' favor.
I suppose studies like this need to get finer granularity on bodycams.
Can you clarify how being able to demonstrate the exact circumstances of an event in perpetuity is "harmful?" This seems completely counter intuitive, in fact it's a point of view regarding bodycams I've never encountered.
Most dialogue around bodycams focuses on desires for extreme punishments for police that turn off their bodycams during interactions with civilians.
I don't agree with the parent, but they're not wrong either.
A good high-profile example is Alex Skeel, who refused to tell responding officers anything about his ordeal on-camera. Guy was basically Theon Greyjoy living with Ramsay Bolton as his girlfriend. You can't testify against your torturer outside of a courtroom and risk her finding out about it. Calling for help is a big no-no when it comes to hostage-taking.
Cops are not good at discretion when it comes to intelligence. Snitches get outed all the time. While off-camera, you can dismiss anything as hearsay or rumor, but you really, really don't want there to be video evidence of you snitching against someone dangerous.
BWCs can record information about a victim's identity and whereabouts, which could potentially jeopardize a victim's safety if the perpetrator views the recording, if recorded data is handled improperly, or if that recording becomes public record. Often sexual assault takes place in areas where the expectation of privacy is high, such as a home or school, and a BWC may be seen as especially invasive in these locations. [72] The impact of BWCs on decisions to report to law enforcement is unknown, [73] but they may affect a victim's ability or willingness to speak to police. It is unknown at this time if BWCs support victims in feeling empowered.
