(Washington Post) While calm appears to be returning to the St. Louis suburb that was torn apart as police and protesters clashed following the shooting of an unarmed black teenager by a white police officer, members of Congress are calling for an expansion of police use of body cameras.
"As the investigation into the death of Michael Brown illustrates, the circumstances of an officer-involved shooting can arouse the strongest passions in a community and breed an atmosphere of profound distrust," Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said in a press release about a letter he is sending to the Department of Justice urging the agency to fund body cameras for local police departments.
"Having a video record of events not only deters the use of excessive force, but it also helps dispute or demonstrate claims of police brutality – in either case it improves community confidence in a just result," he said.