Police body cameras catch split-second decisions made by officers in intense situations.
Those videos and images can be critical to confirming or denying an officer's story. Body cameras have become the standard in modern policing. They can capture just how much pressure officers face in these life-and-death situations. However, some feel that body cameras don't always tell the whole story.
Body camera footage released Tuesday shows two officers repeatedly yelling at stabbing suspect, Joshua Amburgy to drop the knife. He allegedly killed a close relative minutes before officers arrived. The video shows the suspect charging at one of the Miami Township police officers, as he's holding the knife above his head. The officer shoots Amburgy in the leg.
"It's a constant reminder that police work can turn extremely dangerous, and it can turn so on a dime," said Cincinnati Fraternal Order of Police President, Dan Hils.
Hils said Tuesday's body camera video shows the pressure officers are under when it's a life-and-death situation, but it's also a good example of what officers should do in these types of scenarios.
However, Hils did say body cameras sometimes do not tell the whole story.
"They are a great tool for memorializing exactly what happened," said Phil Taliaferro, a criminal defense attorney from Covington.
Taliaferro agreed with Hils in the sense that body cameras may not give context all of the time, but he did say they give you insight into what's going on, and it fills in the blanks when someone's memory fades over time.
"That can absolutely help a case we can use it to impeach, it absolutely can be kind of a game-changer for us," said Taliaferro.
While some may not agree 100% on how much of the story body cameras tell, Hils and Taliferro do agree that body cameras have become vital for getting the right information.
"20 years ago, you didn't have that," said Taliaferro. "You just had one citation of one officer, if there were maybe six to twelve on a scene, and it might tell the whole picture."
READ MORE
Body camera footage shows woman kicking Boone County deputies, damaging cruiser
WATCH: CPD releases body camera video from fatal Covington shooting
More states weighing rules that would require prison guards to wear body cameras
