More and more law enforcement departments in our area are implementing and regulating the use of body cam footage, greatly broadening what dash cams have done for the past decade or so. Not only are these cameras recording a stop or call in order to record the actions and responses of the suspect, but it's also recording the officers involved. Therefore, both officers and suspects are held to their actions and responses recorded, should the footage be used as evidence.

Videos don't lie. The footage can either confirm or deny the testimonies of both the suspect(s) and officer(s). In most places, the implementation of these cameras, especially body cameras, have greatly reduced the claims of violence in altercations with police. This can be for a number of reasons, but one thing is for sure. The footage captured on these cameras are holding everyone involved in a stop or call more accountable, suspects and law enforcement alike. As mentioned in the video, this can be a very good thing. In some cases, this footage can confirm or deny whether or not the officer had probable cause for search or arrest. On the other hand, it can easily confirm or deny the charges brought against the suspect in most cases. Regardless of the scenario, the cameras aid law enforcement to bring justice to every relevant case and, in most cases, ease and shorten the process.

As a civilian, it is important to know that expectation of privacy is respected in Louisiana. Law enforcement is not allowed to release footage captured on either camera to the public when expectation of privacy would be violated. Additionally, Louisiana exempts footage captured by either camera from public records laws.