“I just don’t trust the police,” said my friend. “You don’t know what it is like to be a black man and have to deal with them.”
During our conversation, I paused and asked, “What if the police were wearing a body camera that was recording your interaction. Would that help you trust the officer more?”
He gave me a hard look and responded, “I think so. It’s not the only thing, but it would help.”
As a follow-up to that conversation, I spoke to a friend who had a history in law enforcement.
I asked him about his view of body cameras. He was originally reluctant to the idea, but as we discussed the issue, he became more favorable.
Body cameras are not the only solution to our trust issues, but they can help.
Creating trust between law enforcement and the community is vital to our city’s future. Body cameras for our police officers are a big step toward helping build necessary accountability for healthy interactions between citizens and police officers.
With recent events throughout the country, we have to find a way to improve trust while also maintaining safety for all. For many, life and death can hang in the balance.
Confidence in our institutions is the most important aspect to the functioning of representative government and the justice system.
Without this, there is a lack of legitimacy in our institutions that result in fundamental problems. (Hear that Washington?)
In the state of Florida, we have valued transparency for over a century with statutes that mandated records and meetings by any government officials be available to the public.
Former Gov. Lawton Chiles once stated the purpose of Sunshine Laws was “to shed disinfecting light on our governmental process and procedures.”
During times of suspicion, the unknown is sometimes worse than the known since it provides our minds the opportunity to think the worst in a situation.
Likewise, when there are conflicting accounts, it is extremely difficult to find the truth. Body cameras are a positive step forward.
Sheriff Mike Williams has valiantly taken up this cause in support of building the trust necessary for successful law enforcement in our community. He has been a proponent of body cameras as a solution to some of those problems.
Why body cameras? Normally, the behavior of people changes when they are aware they are being observed on camera. Although imperfect, the footage creates an unbiased record of the event or interaction.
As a result, the accountability of the video footage creates a deterrent to fabrications and an incentive to be on one’s best behavior, for both sides.
For example, as a teacher at Ribault Middle School, when my students knew I was watching, they were most likely to engage positively.
This is a basic principle of human interaction. People are most likely to behave when there is an unbiased third-party observing.
As a result, in many areas where body cameras are worn, a dramatic decline in complaints against police has occurred. Sheriff Williams addressed the matter before the City Council’s Public Health & Safety Committee in August.
“Do the police officers act better because they’re wearing a camera or do the citizens act better because they know they’re on camera?” he said. “I think there’s probably a little bit of both.”
This is also why, according to the sheriff, 90 percent of JSO officers support the use of body cameras. Those officers want the accountability the cameras provide for both officers and citizens.
According to a YouGov/Economist Poll last year, 88 percent of Americans support police officers wearing body cameras. It is not often one can find bipartisan agreement on an issue anymore.
However, funding is holding this program from moving forward in Jacksonville. We have all heard of the funding issues for the city of Jacksonville over the past year.
Mayor Lenny Curry was able to fund a pilot program in the budget for the year.
Yet, in local government, budgets are always tight. Nevertheless, this is an important issue, not just for Jacksonville, but for Florida.
Therefore, our state legislators need to spearhead an effort to secure funding during the legislative session. Law enforcement in all of Florida’s major metropolitan areas should be equipped with the best tools to perform their jobs, which includes the use of body cameras.
A one-time allocation from the Legislature will enable body camera programs to get up and running. From there, cash-strapped municipalities should be able to maintain their programs.
We will have to be vigilant concerning civil liberty issues that may be impacted by cameras. And, like most things, there will be problems with the program that will need to be addressed.
But, this is a tangible step that can be taken to alleviate fears on all sides in order to allow relationships to hopefully grow and flourish for real progress.
Hopefully, body cameras can contribute to stopping the unnecessary loss of life our country has too often experienced. Body cameras are not the solution to our problems, but they are a step toward the transparency and trust we need.
Dave Chauncey is an attorney with Alexander DeGance Barnett, practicing education, labor and employment law.