[1]: 42 Research has shown that the public prefers independent review of complaints against law enforcement, rather than relying on police departments to conduct internal investigations.
It is impossible to foresee a provision for every possible scenario; instead codes of ethics are used to provide officers a tool that is flexible, open for interpretation and can be applied in various manners depending on the situation at hand.
[1]: 42–42 In 1972, New York City Police Department Commissioner Patrick V. Murphy instituted a new policy that confined discretion in use of force to situations only where the officer's own life, or that of other people are in danger.
The United States Department of Justice investigated patterns of abuse within the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, among other agencies, and brought legal action to force changes.
[1]: 54–55 Studies have shown that police officers that wear body cameras while on duty have fewer instances of misconduct and excessive force.
[7] Some are worried about the privacy of victims who may be recorded by police officers wearing body cameras, raising concerns regarding possible retaliation against those captured cooperating with law enforcement.
[7] After the fatal shootings of several civilians and suspects who didn't seemingly posed a threat, President Barack Obama vowed in 2015 to increase funding for body-worn cameras across the United States.
Studies show that the public was nearly split down the middle with 51% supporting the idea of raising their taxes to help outfit the police department with the equipment, while 49% were not as willing to do so.
[10] In a 2016 study conducted by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, data presented from multiple different sheriff offices and police departments that there was a 78% increase on the quality of admissible evidence, meanwhile civilian complaints dropped 81%.
[11] The Bureau of Justice Statistics showed that there was approximately 36% of departments felt that the body worn cameras were an invasion of privacy, along with 26% of sheriff offices according to data received from 2016.
[11] Nonetheless according to Rasmussen University, by the end of 2016 the majority of Police and Sheriff Departments were overall in favor of the use of body worn cameras on officers.
Vehicle pursuits have increasingly been covered under written law enforcement agency policy, to help regulate circumstances and manner that they are conducted.
Civilian review boards tend to focus on individual complaints, rather than broader organizational issues that may result in long-term improvements.