Should Massachusetts Police Wear Body Cameras?

The police shooting and death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, has sparked a conversation about how local police can do their jobs better, and more safely, across the nation — and here in Boston.

President Obama wants to expand the use of so-called body cameras on police officers — and has proposed spending $263 million on the effort.

A number of big cities, including Washington, L.A. and New York are experimenting with these cameras. Police departments here in Massachusetts are considering them, and the state's Chiefs of Police Association backs the idea as well.

The presence of a camera could have resolved some of the many unanswered questions about the killing of Michael Brown, but critics warn body cameras on cops raise concerns.

When do the cameras roll? Who gets the footage? What about privacy? Moreover, is this just a high-tech band-aid for a much bigger problem that only better community policing can solve?

Tom Nolan former Boston police officer and professor at Merrimack College. He tweets @ThomasNolan.

Matt Segal, legal director of the Massachusetts chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.

Emmet Folgert, founder and executive director of the Dorchester Youth Collaborative.