Letter to the editor

In the article “Police dash-cams can clear cops, catch wrong-doing” the use of cameras in police cars proves to benefit all innocent parties. I agree that the cameras can help both the police officers and those being questioned, as they document events without bias. This is important because law enforcement officers are often seen as having unlimited power. When a situation ends in “he-said-she-said,” more often than not, the officer will be given the benefit of the doubt. The use of dash-cameras, however, show exactly what happened and can provide some insight on which party is actually in the wrong, whether it is the officer or the person being questioned. Recently in Bellaire, Texas (a small city in the Houston area) a boy was shot in his front yard by an officer who wrongly accused his vehicle of being stolen. I grew up very close to where this took place and constantly drive in the Bellaire area, so this really concerns me. I think it is important for all police cars to have dash-cams because it holds the officers accountable for their actions. If the Bellaire officer had known he was being recorded, perhaps he would have acted in a more respectful manner.

Author's note: I'm not sure whether or not I did this right. I don't really understand the assignment, and I think because I agree with the stuff in the article, it made it harder for me to write this.