When I heard that the Denver Police Department was planning on equipping part of its force with body cameras, I had a vision.

Under the watchful eye of supervisors, peers and civilians, the police force would become exactly what we’ve always needed: a guardian generous with assistance and parsimonious with force. Order would flourish as the civilian population grew to trust and respect law enforcement. Crime would begin to disappear. RoboCop would be the most popular guest at dinner parties.

A Police Foundation study, conducted in Rialto, Calif., supports my fantasy. Researchers found that police officers equipped with body cameras were less likely to use force and also less likely to receive complaints from the public.

Sounds idyllic, but unfortunately, the issue of police body cameras is much stickier than it first appears.

When should the cameras roll? How long should we store recordings? What kind of access will citizens have to the recordings? How should police departments discipline officers who misuse the technology?

Mandating that the cameras run constantly may sound like the best way to hold law enforcement accountable, but it raises privacy issues. It doesn’t behoove the interests of citizens to turn every cop into a walking surveillance camera, especially considering cops often enter private residences during their work. Plus, it invades the privacy of police themselves. Few people could perform the already stressful job of law enforcement under constant surveillance.

Although it is important that officers cannot delete the recordings created by body cameras, unused video footage should have an ‘expiration date’ so that they are not misused. Body cameras have the potential to capture video that doesn’t contain evidence of a crime but is still embarrassing to the subject. With no legal use to police departments or the public, these videos should be destroyed.

Since the footage recorded by body cameras could be such a powerful tool to hold law enforcement accountable, citizens should have access to recordings of themselves. The recordings can be used either as legal defense or to support a complaint against law enforcement.

Care must be taken, though, in releasing this footage. The identities of 3rd parties that appear in the videos should be digitally censored to protect their privacy.

I won’t presume to tell law enforcement how to discipline officers who fail to follow procedure with body cameras, but if this technology is to be used right, it has to become a central part of each department’s culture. This means that officers should be encouraged to learn and embrace the technology.

Body cameras are not a cheap trick for cops to get themselves out of trouble. Instead, they are a progressive tool that will help police officers serve the public more effectively than ever.

crclark2@mavs.coloradomesa.edu