Sign the petition: We need federal standards about police using body cameras
Congress, President Obama and the Department of Justice
We need national standards for implementation and use of police body cameras to balance public trust and privacy concerns.
According to a study at the Department of Justice by the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) department in conjunction with law enforcement professionals, body cameras reduce the instances of excessive force, in some places by 60%, and reduce complaints against officers by as much as 88%. Some experts think that presence of recording equipment encourages everyone involved in the interaction to de-escalate.
Currently, state legislatures are racing to write legislation about police officers and body cameras. Instead of having 50 states with 50 different policies offering varying levels of transparency, privacy protections, and accountability, we need one nationwide standard.
Sign the petition to Congress, President Obama and the Department of Justice urging them to implement cohesive national standards for the use of body cameras and recording equipment by law enforcement officers.
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To:
Congress, President Obama and the Department of Justice
From:
[Your Name]
A national policy to govern the use of body cameras by law enforcement officers is necessary. Body cameras are an effective tool at reducing the use of excessive force and reducing complaints from the community.
State legislatures are beginning to enact differing legislation about the use of body cameras which could lead to unequal rights of victims, lack of accountability, and varying degrees of transparency. We need equal rights, equal protections, and equal transparency regardless of the state.