The relationship between citizens and cops has not always been a good one, especially as of late.  

In national news, we have seen the case of Ferguson, Missouri, in which many people are still rightfully upset and debating what actually transpired between teenager Michael Brown and police officer Darren Wilson, when Brown was shot and killed.

Closer to home in Champaign-Urbana, we saw a situation of a lesser magnitude last April that involved an Illinois basketball player, Darius Paul, who was arrested for resisting a police officer and underage consumption of alcohol.

But the details of the crime seemed a tad unclear to us due to the fact that Paul was initially addressed by police because of the time of night, and some others questioned the fairness of his arrest.

These are only two examples of something that transpires far too often in our country — a classic case of he-said, she-said between citizens and police officers. However, if police officers in the state of Illinois wear body cameras, we believe that some of these murky encounters between police officers and community members can be avoided.

Two state lawmakers, Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth, D-Peoria, and Sen. William Haine, D-Alton, are looking to raise money for police body cams, which they believe will limit some of the questions and confusion that arise with some of the encounters with citizens. This is something we support.

The two lawmakers are pushing for an amendment to a bill that would add “a $6 surcharge to fines for traffic offenses and for convictions or guilty pleas for criminal offenses”, which would rake in an estimated $5 million to $6 million, some of which would be used for grants for police cameras.

We believe these body cams would be immensely beneficial because they would provide a way to hold police officers more accountable for their actions and hopefully promote stronger and safer interactions between police officers and citizens. At the same time, these cameras would provide clear proof of any in-question exchange between a community member and an officer which, ideally, would allow for cases to get settled more efficiently with fewer questions left unanswered.

A letter from the executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum indicates that departments that have already implemented these body cams say the presence of the camera often improves the performance of the cop as well as the recorded community member, which we assuredly approve of.

There are certainly concerns over citizens’ privacy, which have been outlined in the amended bill, and not everyone believes these body cams are ideal. Additionally, the usage of these cameras would need to be monitored in different ways.

However, they have proved necessary, particularly in the last several years, to restore trust and order between those who are supposed to be protecting us and those who do not feel protected.