Commentary: O.C. agencies need to equip officers with body cameras

Nationally, there has been widespread coverage of officer-involved shootings and the subsequent upheavals resulting from the lack of accountability by law enforcement.

I believe that residents of Orange County have also fallen victim to police brutality, racial prejudice or mistreatment over the years. Much of this victimization has not been caught on tape and therefore has not been national news.

Bills pending in the state Assembly seek to implement policies and procedures for law enforcement agencies regarding officers and body-worn cameras. The bills address the storage of video, privacy issues and potential funding for agencies to utilize to equip officers with body cameras.

Equipping police officers with body cameras can promote transparency and accountability. Perhaps officers and members of the public would be on their best behavior knowing they were being filmed.

In San Diego, testing by a maker of body cameras revealed that incidents involving the use of force dropped dramatically, by 47%, and complaints made against on-duty officers dropped by 41%, according to a city report made public by news sources.

The Fullerton Police Department, Orange Coast College and some Los Angles County police agencies have already begun to equip officers with body cameras, and it is time for more agencies in Orange County to follow suit.

Every citizen has the right to transparency and accountability, which is why it is important for the residents of Orange County who support equipping local police with body-worn cameras make themselves known.

They can call or write to their local police chief and support a grass-roots campaign backing Assembly bills 65, 66, and 69.

ABIGAIL CAMILLE ANDERSON lives in Costa Mesa.