Monroe Dispatch - No Struggle, No Progress

The Monroe/Ouachita Parish Branch of the NAACP led by Branch President Rev. Ambrose Douzart recently met with Ouachita Parish Sheriff Jay Russell to discuss the possibility of parish officers using body cameras. The Monroe Dispatch spoke with Rev. Douzart, and he expressed his views on the need for body cameras to be worn by officers. Douzart shared a statement outlining why cameras can play a pivotal role for the community if trust is to be restored, especially after recent local events have captured the nation's attention. In the statement, the NAACP offered: The use of body cameras encourages public confidence in law enforcement by providing some of the best accountability for evidence of interactions between law enforcement personnel and members of the public. In light of a string of local and national cases where body cameras proved to be valuable in collecting evidence of everyone's actions involved in police/public interactions, we felt it imperative that all local law-enforcement agencies procure and use body cameras in their daily duties. Douzart shared that when he met with Ouachita Parish Sheriff Russell, a productive exchange occurred with Sheriff Russell indicating that he had already begun exploring the use of body cameras by members of the sheriff's department, including the initial and continuing costs associated with them as well. Sheriff Russell, Douzart said, also indicated that the implementation of body cameras usage by his personnel would occur in the near future. Full implementation will take time, however, initial implementation and use of body cameras technology by the sheriff's department should occur within the next few months. Douzart noted that the times we live in have shown distrust in people who are supposed to serve the community. "It is about accountability, and the NAACP believe that body cameras can also help a police department become a better one," said Douzart.

Over the years, those who advocate for body cams believe that the community needs to have both confidence and trust in its police department, and body cameras could be that avenue to help regain that confidence and trust.