NASW Manager of Social Justice and Human Rights Mel Wilson.

Having police wear body cameras could go a long way toward preventing future incidents such as the police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO, National Association of Social Workers Manager of Social Justice and Human Rights Mel Wilson said in this Orlando Sentinel column.

Cameras would protect police from citizen claims of excessive force while reducing police use of force and racial profiling, Wilson wrote.

However, body cameras would not be a panacea, Wilson wrote. NASW supports policing reforms that would increase trust between police and the communities they serve.

For more information read NASW’s statement on the Ferguson Grand Jury decision, an NASW brief on activities related to Ferguson, and a letter NASW and other organizations sent to President Obama urging reforms in the aftermath of the Ferguson shooting.