Body Cameras for Police! Support The Safer Officers And Safer Citizens Act Of 2015: Tennessee

Dear Senator Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker,

My name is Brian Stanfield. I live in Nashville, TN, and I am writing to urge you to support S.1897, the Safer Officers and Safer Citizens Act of 2015. I know this bill has the potential to save not only my life, but also those of my family, friends, and neighbors. Senators, my entire community can benefit from this bill, which is why I cannot overstate its importance.

The bill, as drafted by the National Bar Association and supported by the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., will help to prevent some of the unnecessary confrontations that occur when unarmed citizens- both Black and white- are being detained and arrested by law enforcement officers. While some have labeled these unfortunate encounters “Blue on Black Crimes”. These senseless deaths and encounters must stop. Recent police-citizen encounters in our Nation have created a trust deficit between law enforcement and the communities that they serve. Over the last couple of years, troubling use of force incidents have occurred between police officers and citizens across the United States. These events spurred a national dialogue about the state of policing in America, and created urgency for body-worn cameras.

Between 2003 and 2009, 4,813 people died while in police custody or in the process of being arrested. [1] Proportionally, African-Americans and other minorities take a heavy toll in many of these incidents. However, it should be noted that whites too experience ill consequences while being arrested and are at risk of losing their lives. Deaths in the hands of law enforcement during the aforementioned time period totaled 2,026. In a study done in California in 2012, body cameras resulted in a 60% reduction in use of force, and an 88% decline in the number of complaints against officers.

In closing, I urge you to support this legislation and to bring the powers of your office to bear. With your help, we can end this senseless violence and death at the hand of law enforcement. Our society and our judicial community is better than this and we must work together to end this vicious cycle of violence. Our communities are begging for your assistance.

[1] Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics