A study led by Washington D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department shows that Body Cameras on police officers have not had “any statistically significant effect” on law enforcement officials use of force or citizen complaints.

The results are bound to reopen debates about the policy, which was believed could help improve police procedures around the country and possibly curb abuse. Calling for further research, some parties have said that the D.C. police force is among the best-trained in the nation – and could have been simply doing the right things all along.

The use of police body cameras has always come with questions. When cities nationwide began deploying them as the problem of police brutality exploded in 2015, many were quick to point out concerns like costs, rules on who will wear them and when, as well as who will have access to the videos.

The last point has been particularly contentious in North Carolina, where current laws hold that footage from Police Body Cameras are not part of public records. Parties interested in seeing them – such as the lawyers or families of individuals captured on camera – need a court order for access.

“What’s the purpose of having body cameras if police aren’t required to disclose the footage?” critics have asked. With the recent study from Washington D.C., the questions are only bound to increase.

Kurtz & Blum agrees that body cameras have been useful in certain circumstances, whether to prove that an individual had a weapon, or that a law enforcer acted wrongly. Footage may still turn out to be valuable evidence for future cases, despite the study in D.C. suggesting they have little effect on police behavior.

It is likely that additional research project will determine the true worth of the bodycam policy. Taxpayers deserve to know if using them gets results – and the government and justice system should find a way to establish this.

If officers do not change their behavior even as they wear body cameras, they can still overstep their use of force and conduct shoddy investigations.

If you or someone you know has been arrested for a crime, and think that the police committed errors or abuses at any stage of the process, you should discuss what happened with your criminal defense attorney. A lawyer with Kurtz & Blum will help assess the sequence of events surrounding your encounter with the law, clarify your rights, and advocate on your behalf.

Body Cam Study Shows No Effect On Police Use Of Force Or Citizen Complaints, NPR.org

New NC body camera law will mean court order required for police video release, WRal.com