Amid the public uproar over the anti-illegal drugs operation conducted in Caloocan City, dubbed as the “One Time, Big Time” drug raid, that resulted in the death of Grade 11 student Kian Loyd delos Santos, Senator Dick Gordon reiterated the need to equip policemen and other law enforcers conducting operations with body cameras.
Gordon first made the recommendation late last year in the committee report submitted by the Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights after conducting an investigation on recent and rampant killings.
“I have recommended even then that we should equip our policemen and other law enforcers, especially those who are part of operations being conducted, with body cameras that would record their interaction with the public,” the veteran legislator said.
“The use of body cameras would aid the police in gathering evidence at crime scenes. In other countries that already use body cameras, it has been known to increase both police and citizen accountability. By recording police-citizen encounters, police supervisors, judges, reporters, and others can get objective evidence of what happened instead of self-serving hearsay. May record kung ano talaga ang nangyari kahit walang CCTV sa area,” the seasoned lawmaker added.
Body worn video (BWV), also known as body cameras and body-worn cameras, or wearable cameras is an audio, video, or photographic recording system, which is being utilized in several countries, including the United Kingdom, the United States and Denmark, to reduce police misconduct.
“The use of body cameras is part of a holistic approach to improve our criminal justice system that I recommended in the committee report we submitted last year. The recommendation also included regular reporting by the police to a congressional oversight committee, strengthening the Peoples’ Law Enforcement Boards or PLEBS, the conduct of speedy investigations by the PNP’s Internal Affairs Service para hindi na sila IWAS instead na IAS, and the creation of police courts, among others,” the senator pointed out.