The police force is paid for by the people in exchange for their protection and enforcement of the law. Without them, we would have anarchy. But with great power comes great responsibility, which some officers are clearly not capable of possessing. I care about the well being of our citizens and the fair treatment of everyone. Without video footage or other hard evidence, people struggle to convince the court that the officer who is sworn by the law was in the wrong . Videos and news reports have flooded the media, advocating for some sort of change in the police system. They provide rock solid evidence to override any false claims by police or people. In recent news, an unarmed man was being arrested by several officers in broad daylight. Video footage captures the man screaming "I can't breathe!", as the lead officer chokes him to death. Several situations like this have run their course through the news. Therefore, for the protection of everyone's rights, all officers should be equipped with chest cams to record any situations that may raise a dispute. I personally experienced the extent of people's advocacy in Baltimore during the Freddy Grey riots. I watched hundreds gather to relentlessly protest the Freddy Grey case. The number of protesters is growing, rightfully so. As a college student and young adult, I find it crucial to know and protect the rights of every law abiding citizen. No harm should be done to innocent, unarmed people. 


According to an article on CNN, there has not been an increase in the police shootings, just more news reports pertaining video evidence of brutal beatings and shootings. Robert Bogle, President and CEO of the Philadelphia Tribune, says that they have been reporting on this for 130 years. The cries for help have been muffled by the police all these years. Now, thanks to video recording, the public can see without question what went down and who is in the wrong. Bogle also said that if the Scott shooting wasn't recorded, then the public might have believed the Officer's made up story to defend his wrongful actions (McLaughlin). This just goes to show how important video evidence is in a case where people historically sided with the law enforcement's word. The author of this article uses primary evidence such as the interviews with Bogle to present his ideas. He has worked many jobs in the field since 2005, and definitely stays up to date on the news about this topic.


Obama has stepped up in response to the recent riots and outbreaks of civilians over the matter. An article written in December 2014 says that Obama has called for great change. He proposed a $263 million dollar spending package that would pay for body cams, extended police training, and more recourses for the department platform (Pickler). The funding will pay for 50,000 body cams to be used on the job. This allows for all of the officer's actions to be recorded without questionable stories being the justification for things like shootings of unarmed black boys. This keeps the police in line and protects the rights of the people. Also, police will be protected against false claims, which could also be a problem. Pickler is a writer for the associated press. Her article is informative, so she expresses no bias.


Racism is still around today, just in different form. Police have had a track record of abusing the power on blacks. The article Improving Police Accountability Through the Mandatory Use of Body Cams, by April Martindale, addresses racism by law enforcement officers and how body cams can make a significant impact on this. Martindale claims that "requiring officers to wear body cameras 24/7 can greatly reduce the number of police shootings and killings of unarmed African Americans". She talks about how police have evaded punishment over the years for their unlawful actions because government officials are too scared to recognize police misconduct. Unarmed people are continually being killed with no justification. Their families left in shambles, while the police skate past any disputes untouched. The source is credible because it was published by a University and all the information is properly cited. The article is rather bias because the author strongly defends African Americans over all people as a whole. She references slavery and other examples of misconduct on Africans dating back to the seventeenth century. 

The research question is arguable because there are many routes of action that could be taken in this situation.  People can have different opinions on police shootings and therefore can argue different courses of action to fix the problem. Some say that chest cams would be a violation of privacy. However, a police officer is a servant of the people, therefore meaning we should be able to see what they are doing on the job. Once an innocent life is taken, there is nothing we can do to get it back. So it is important to keep the best trained staff of officers on duty. Video footage will help need out the unfit officers. April Martindale's article revolves more around implementing chest cams to prevent the abuse of African Americans, like in . Her article is more set around African Americans historically being abused, rather than the relationship of police and person today. All of the articles agree that chest cams would improve accountability of police and help lower the number of shootings and abuse. 
