Police have had dashboard cameras to document their activities for some time. Now some have body-mounted cameras that can document even more:
Critics say the fact that the cameras have on and off switches raises concerns.
“Police officers might be able to turn them off when their behavior is questionable,” said Cheryl Distaso with the Fort Collins Community Action Network.
Distaso says the use of the cameras could be considered an invasion of privacy.
“Police officers enter people’s homes. They enter their personal space. And there is no way to opt out,” she said.
I think those are valid concerns, but a strict policy governing when the cameras should be turned on and off can go a long way to addressing them. The body cams are generally a good idea because they will both protect the public from police misbehavior and protect the police from false allegations of bad behavior. I know I've posted frequently about the shrinking zones of privacy these days, but this development doesn't worry me especially. Hell, by the time these are widely adopted Google Glass or its descendants will have us all online live all the time anyway.
