You function in an age where technology has transformed various aspects of society. But are you making full use of tech yet?
A quick summary of the benefits of body cameras will show you how to optimise their functionality and enjoy the results.
Traffic Management: Get the Evidence You Need
When you’re working to keep order in traffic, chances are drivers will defy the rules of the road. Many drivers do, but they don’t always want to admit it, which makes it difficult to prosecute them.
With a body camera fitted to traffic officers’ chests, they can record the actions of offenders to obtain the necessary proof if a case is made against someone.
Patient Transport: Occupational Violence
The rise in occupation violence and assult towards paramedicts and ambulance workers has increased, with more than 5,000 cases of violence towards paramedics in 2015-16 according to Ambulance Victoria.
Body cameras may help deter a portion of attacks and minimise risk if patients know that they are being recorded. The footage is also helpful in court.
Marine and Aviation Industries: Curb Criminal Action
Ensuring security at airports and harbors is challenging. Many criminals use these sites when they want individuals or items to enter a country illegally. To prevent this problem from escalating, body cameras can help in two ways:
- Making body cameras part of workers’ outfits will prevent them from taking part in criminal actions. They won’t act in ways that could land them in jail.
- Often, the only way to put these criminals behind bars is to catch them red-handed. When airport or harbor guards wear cameras and there is an altercation with smugglers, there will be clear evidence to be used in future court cases.
Law Enforcement: Prevent Complaints
With police brutality being a controversial subject, you want to ensure police officers act correctly in every situation. When law enforcement personnel wear body cameras, the rate of complaints regarding their actions often diminishes.
Firstly, body cameras prompt officers to abide by policies, because they know the cameras will provide evidence if they step out of line. Subconsciously, a camera prompts officers to act responsibly since they’ll be held accountable for their actions.
A second reason affects the frequency of complaints from civilians: fewer unnecessary complaints. Some individuals may manipulate a situation and claim they have been mistreated, purely for the sake of getting attention or to lay a suit against an officer for monetary gain. Thanks to body cameras, law enforcement officers are safe from false claims since the footage will display the truth of the situation.
When there are fewer complaints, law enforcement benefits in various ways. Less time is wasted on filing and handling unnecessary cases. A precinct can also use funds to fulfill its original task of protecting the community, instead of wasting it on legal fees.
An added benefit, which is also mentioned below in more detail, is that recorded footage can be used for educational purposes. An officer's actions can be analyzed and he or she can be shown how to improve certain skills such as negotiation.
Guards and Patrol Officers: Preventing Crime and Saving Money
Certain security measures work as deterrents of crime because perpetrators want to prevent creating evidence of their actions. When patrol officers wear body cameras, those that they come across often refrain from doing anything that could worsen their cases in court.
In this way, patrol officers at public events, the border, businesses or other public areas have an easy way to lower the number of trespassers or violent encounters they have to handle.
When cameras are present, without any conflict or violence, it’s possible to ensure a more positive outcome, even in tense scenarios.
With less violence comes less property damage you have to pay to repair. This is how an investment in body cameras can save you money in the long term.
Parks and Animal Welfare Personnel: Be Unencumbered by Equipment
An important role for animal welfare personnel is to make sure the individuals who take advantage of the vulnerability of animals, get put in jail.
You can’t carry heavy equipment into remote places, such as a wildlife park. But a body camera is light enough to take anywhere: it doesn’t hamper movement so even if wildlife rescue personnel walk long distances, a camera can go with. If you come across smugglers or trespassers, their actions can easily be captured on video.
Schools and Detention Centers: Empowering Improvements
Working with minors comes with unique challenges. At schools and detention centers for young people, workers must keep children’s rights in mind. Also, when your purpose is to help young people learn and improve, you must use language & tools relevant to their age group.
Body cameras create an ideal way to help workers enhance their skills. Footage from their interactions with minors can be used to identify pain points. Experts can provide insight and guidance on how to handle certain situations more effectively in future.
When teachers on duty are responsible for breaking up teenage fights or find themselves in a situation which could get them in trouble with the law, body cameras will prove very useful. There are also many blind spots from CCTV around schools, with students smart enough to figure them out.
Council Officers: Protecting Those in Charge
Compliance officers and council workers do important work, but not all citizens appreciate their work. For instance, those who inspect tickets may often suffer abuse, whether physical or verbal.
But a body camera can prevent this. When people realize their actions will be recorded, they're less likely to showcase abusive behavior, as this could cause the officer to make a case against them.
Once again this can save councils money since equipment won't get damaged by violent citizens as often.
Final Thoughts
Technology enables us to capture a visual representation of moments. In many scenarios, this is the key to fight crime, improved service and even benefiting lives. Isn’t it time you start using these impressive gadgets in your day-to-day life or profession too?