Wearable Police Cameras Raise Policy Questions

Increasingly, police officers nationwide are wearing cameras attached to their uniforms to record everything from traffic stops to crimes in progress. The expectation is that the cameras will capture police encounters with the public. According to an NPR report, unions generally want guarantees that superiors won’t be able to use the videos to monitor officers’ daily routine or monitor the videos for minor infractions. And police want to make sure they have access to their own tapes. Some people worry that the only ones with easy access to the videos will be authorities.