Law enforcement is one of the most important and dangerous jobs out there, and while the police men and women of the world are tasked with protecting the public, who will make sure that they are, in turn, protected? Police cams and in vehicle camera systems are revolutionizing law enforcement, as well as helping the people see what their officers do.

A vast majority of officers say that they think body cams are more effective than dashboard cameras, but each avenue has its pros and cons. Body cameras are more prone to damage in daily use, while police car video systems may not capture all of the necessary footage to be used as evidence in court. Body cameras are perhaps the most effective in capturing important footage, but the likelihood that they will experience functionality issues is greater than a dashboard camera. Regardless of which a department prefers, both are incredibly useful in verifying or disproving claims of police misconduct.

The interesting thing about body cams, however, is that although most police officers say they are more effective, almost 75% of police departments report not having used them in recent years. Police cams play a huge role in holding both citizens and officers accountable for their own actions, so not using them is simply harmful to everyone involved. Whether an officer is wrongly accused of misconduct, or a citizen is wrongly charged, video footage from police cams can put all arguments and accusations to rest.

Most, if not all, police cars have camera systems installed at this point. One of the most beneficial aspects of having a camera system set up in a police vehicle is that video footage is much more reliable than memory. The reasoning for this is the same as it is for any red light camera. The video can capture images of license plates and faces much better than the human eye and memory alone. Not only does this hold drivers more accountable, it allows the data to be brought up again if a driver gets caught more than once.

Few people are under the impression that because these men and women are working in law enforcement, that they can do no wrong. Video footage, however, has proved that theory wrong time and time again. They are human just like you, and if police cams can help hold citizens and officers alike accountable for their actions, then it’s something you can’t afford to take for granted.