It remains the honorable duty of each police officer to protect and serve the civilians of the city to which they are assigned.  As public servants, these individuals are required to practice and uphold specific standards of operation while encountering civilians.  Due to the recent events that occurred, resulting in the death of a local civilian, father, and husband by the name of Luis Rodriquez while in police custody, accusations of possible unneccessary police brutality have resulted in the call for better monitoring of police officers.

Implementing the use of police cameras would solve many issues that stem from unknowing what occurs while police engage in civilian interaction.  Foremost, recording devices can help substantiate the claims of victims of police misconduct or brutality.  It can be difficult sometimes for a civilian to convince a jury of police misconduct or brutality due to the bias held by many that officer claims are to be trusted over that of civilians.  Likewise, body cameras promise greater officer protection against false claims of police misconduct or brutality by civilians.  Alledged claims of police brutality and misconduct, even when falsified, can be crippling to the trust relationship between police officers and the communities they serve.  

Implenting police cameras will improve the acountability of both parties, officers and civilians.  It can also be cost effective, since lawsuits and misconduct can be very expensive for police departments.  With the implementation of police cameras, unimpeachable evidence can be obtained that holds all parties accountable for their actions.  Such evidence can improve the quality of our justice system, providing key information to prosecutors or defense attorneys when preceding to court.

Many police departments in the United States and abroad have already implemented such standards requiring their officers to wear police cameras while on duty.  For example, in the city of Rialto, CA, police use of force dropped 60% after the implementation of police cameras.   The officers who were not made to wear the cameras used force twice as much as those who were, suggesting that in many instances police use of force is unnecessary.  After the officers were required to wear cameras, police complaints dropped an astonishing 88%.  Many larger cities, such as Los Angeles and Houston, have implemented such surveillance systems after the findings in Rialto proved to be beneficial to all parties.

We ask that such standards be implemented by the Moore Police Department to assure that further police brutality or claims of such be limited by video surveillance in the future.