Are body cameras beneficial for the police and the public?

After Michael Brown’s death in 2014 started a heated national debate about police violence, police departments across the country adopted body cameras in hopes the technology would avoid disputed accounts of what occurred. By 2016, nearly half of all law enforcement agencies in the U.S. were using body cameras. Polls have showed overwhelming public support for police body cameras, and a majority of police officers endorse them as well. Body camera footage has been used to catch corrupt cops, as well as show that officers were justified in their actions in connection with a shooting. But critics say there are cases of abuse. Officers often have discretion over when their cameras are turned on, and departments have been known to withhold or edit the footage.