Cops and Body Worn Cameras

In case you're not aware, almost all police officers these days wear body worn cameras. Now, in this video, I'll explain some of the reasons why police officers are wearing body worn cameras and how they can either help you or hurt you. 

Hello folks, I'm Andrew Williams. This is another edition of the Fedora Lawyer. I'm a boardcertified criminal defense lawyer with over 30 years of trial experience. On this channel, I share all my years of experience with you to help you better understand the law and possibly use it to your benefit. As always, on this channel, I provide you with general practical legal information. But the law varies from one jurisdiction to another. Therefore, if you do have a legal problem, make sure you consult an attorney in your area to properly advise you about the facts and the law surrounding your particular case. 

Just a few years ago, officers didn't wear body worn cameras. Nothing was recorded. So, if you were arrested, whatever took place during that arrest was not recorded. Nobody knew what happened except you and the officers involved. If the officer claimed you showed signs of intoxication or you tried to resist arrest or you made incriminating statements, there was no way of disproving what the officer claimed took place. 

But now almost all officers wear body worn cameras and they record everything the officer sees and hears. When an officer makes a traffic stop, the officer will have the body worn camera on and recording before he even makes contact with you. You're entitled to see those videos. The first thing I do when I get hired on a case is to get a copy of the videos and review them with my client. The purpose of this is to show you the client exactly every piece of evidence that a jury is going to see at trial. You want to see it before the trial, not during the trial for the first time.

Watching the videos also helps you to remember the facts of the case a little better. The body worn camera provides an objective record of interactions between you and the officer. The camera records events that transpire without prejudice, without emotion, or without anything else coloring its perception. The video shows what really happened despite how you or the officer may have perceived it or remembered it. Officers are more likely to behave better because they know everything is being recorded, and you need to be aware of it, too. This way will keep you from saying or doing anything that you probably shouldn't do. The presence of the body cameras also may help to deescalate a potentially volatile encounter between you and a police officer. If you know you're being recorded, you're less likely to have a confrontation with the officer. 

Now, before there were videos, before these cameras were out, a dishonest officer could claim that you made an admission that you didn't make, thereby helping to secure a conviction. So, cameras will prevent this. The footage captures crucial details of the arrest. This may be used to support your account of the events as well. If you want to make a complaint about a police officer for misconduct, you got a record of it right there. The camera reduces possibility that the officer will use force against you. Police officers cannot now claim that you were resisting arrest just to justify use of unnecessarily aggressive force. The footage from the recording can be used by your lawyer to challenge the prosecution's case. maybe get the charges dismissed or lowered at least.

Those are just a few of the very important reasons you need to be aware that officers are wearing body worn cameras nowadays. Everything you say and do is recorded and anything on there can be used at trial, so you got to be careful. I hope this information was helpful. If you need more information on other legal topics, you can check out my other articles and videos.

Author: Andrew Williams

I am a criminal defense lawyer with over 30 years experience defending people accused of wrongdoing. I am board certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization. Only ten percent of attorneys in Texas are board certified in their respective field. I practice criminal law exclusively in both state and federal court including appeals of criminal cases.