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An ordinance of the County of Allegheny, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, establishing policy for the County Police and providing for the creation of a working group to assist municipal police departments operating within Allegheny County in the evaluation and potential acquisition of camera devices.
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Whereas, the use of police body cameras began to be considered widely after several high-profile police shootings, including the 2014 death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and in 2015 the Obama administration handed out more than $23 million in federal grants to help agencies of all sizes purchase them; and
Whereas, Body-worn cameras may result in better transparency and accountability and thus may improve law enforcement legitimacy. In many communities, there is a lack of trust and confidence in law enforcement. This lack of confidence is exacerbated by questions about encounters between officers and community members that often involve the use of deadly or less-lethal force. Video footage captured during these officer-community interactions might provide better documentation to help confirm the nature of events and support accounts articulated by officers and community residents; and
Whereas, Body-worn cameras may also result in increased civility as studies have shown higher rates of citizen compliance to officer commands during encounters and fewer complaints lodged against law enforcement. Citizens often change their behavior toward officers when they are informed that the encounter is being recorded. This “civilizing effect” may prevent certain situations from escalating to levels requiring the use of force and improve interactions between officers and citizens; and
Whereas, Body-worn cameras may lead to a faster resolution of citizen complaints and lawsuits that allege excessive use of force and other forms of officer misconduct. Investigations of cases that involve inconsistent accounts of the encounter from officers and citizens are ofte...
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