When a conflict escalates, security personnel do not have many options for de-escalating it. Police officers in particular are allowed to use weapons such as Tasers and pepper spray, which can endanger the health of the aggressors. The use of a body camera, on the other hand, is not only a cost-effective alternative, but also a non-violent one that has been proven to prevent the escalation of conflicts and dangerous situations. This is especially true for body cameras with front displays.
## What is the advantage of a body cam with a front display? Imagine the following situation: On a Saturday evening in a large city, passers-by are being harassed by a rioter. Two police officers, each equipped with a body cam, are on foot patrol, see the incident and intervene. The main goal of the police officers is to resolve the situation peacefully and prevent the conflict from escalating – for the safety of the passers-by and for their own protection. ## 3 de-escalation levels: How the body camera helps The body camera helps its wearers go through the three de-escalation levels: ### 1. Showing presence with the body camera Often, just wearing the camera or mentioning it can help de-escalate things, preventing further attacks or the situation from getting worse. In addition to the clearly visible front display, a patch can also be attached to the uniform jacket or an additional sticker with the word “Video” can be affixed to the camera so that the function of the body cam can be assessed from a distance. In our example, the rioter could immediately notice the body cam on the police officers’ uniforms as soon as they approach him.
In the best-case scenario, the rioter will now be deterred from displaying violent behaviour (both verbal and physical), as the police officers can immediately record image and sound evidence for criminal prosecution if he ignores the officers’ request to desist and continues to harass passers-by. The presence of the body camera thus also helps to raise the inhibition threshold for escalating a conflict.
2. Notice of imminent recording – activation of the mirror function Some rioters are so enraged that they are unable to perceive the presence of body cameras and the consequences of their own behaviour in terms of criminal prosecution, or to assess the situation rationally. The safety of the officers, the passers-by involved and also uninvolved third parties is at risk.
If the presence of the cameras does not calm the situation, police officers must move on to the second stage of de-escalation: they inform the troublemaker that they will switch on the camera if he does not change his behaviour and stop the harassment. To ensure that this is not just a verbal warning and that the troublemaker sees that these are not empty threats, the officers can activate the large front display – the mirror function allows the other person to see themselves on the screen, visually demonstrating their own negative behaviour to the troublemaker. However, the body cam does not yet record the situation.
3. Start of body cam recording If, for this or any other reason, the rioter is not deterred by the previous measures, continues his harassment or even attacks the police officers unchallenged, the emergency services activate the body cam recording: The situation is now recorded with image and sound and can serve as evidence for the public prosecutor’s office if the troublemaker cannot be dissuaded from further actions. The NetCo body cam documents every tiny detail in a legally compliant manner.
(Further information on the GDPR-compliant NetCo body camera can be found here: GDPR-compliant body camera use – everything you need to know)
The functions of the large front display at a glance: * Visible from a distance: support in navigating the escalation levels * Mirror function: rioters are directly shown their own negative behaviour
- Double protection: Not only the emergency personnel, but also uninvolved third parties benefit from better protection In 86% of cases, a conflict or dangerous situation can be de-escalated by switching on the body cam front display, which significantly reduces the number of incidents.