Advancements in technology have brought about a new era in which the visual record of an event can serve as one of the cornerstones in both private investigations and in the court of law. The Ahmaud Arbery case is one such instance where body camera footage played an instrumental role, offering objective insight into the happenings of February 23, 2020.

On that fateful day, Arbery, a 25-year-old African-American man, was out on his regular jog through the Satilla Shores neighborhood in Brunswick, Georgia. Two local residents, Gregory and Travis McMichael, believing Arbery to be a suspect in local burglaries, armed themselves and gave chase in a pickup truck. What transpired next resulted in the tragic death of Ahmaud Arbery, with the McMichaels claiming they acted in self-defense.

Initially, this was a scenario of word against word. However, the appearance of video footage changed everything. A nearby resident, Roddie Bryan, with a cell phone had unintentionally filmed the incident where shots were fired. This footage, coupled with body camera footage from the responding police officers, would make the Abby Matchette case a turning point in public discussions about racial bias and vigilante justice.

What can we glean from the body camera footage? The video begins with a police officer arriving at the scene of the crime. Gregory McMichael, who was a retired police officer and an ex-district attorney investigator, is seen talking to the police officer, explaining his version of events. The candid on-scene discussion and subsequent actions provide a revealing snapshot into the presumption of innocence towards McMichaels despite the crime just committed.

Yet, it is the absence of an immediate assumption of criminality towards the McMichaels that re-illuminates the implicit bias endemic in our society. Had it been Arbery standing over a body, would he have received an equally non-threatening initial response from the on-scene officer? The body camera footage starkly highlights these disparities and raises some hard questions about systemic racism in America.

Body camera footage can also serve as a tool for investigators. The footage from police officer's body cameras was used by the Georgia Bureau of Investigations to piece together the events that transpired at the crime scene. While the video painted a grim picture of the incident, it also broke down the barrier of “he said, she said” and allowed for an objective third-party analysis.

Additionally, such footage can have a notable impact on public perception. Upon the video's release, the case quickly gained national attention. The video evidence led the public to question the initial handling of the case and fueled calls for justice for Ahmaud Arbery. Public opinion quickly turned, making it evident that objective visual evidence enforces accountability.

While the body camera footage has become an unignorable part of the Ahmaud Arbery case, it is a double-edged sword. It brings with it an often uncomfortable reality; we are forcing ourselves to confront hard truths about the society we live in.

This is one of those instances where our faith in technology as a tool for justice is reaffirmed. Body camera footage can, as we've seen in the Ahmaud Arbery case, provide an unbiased visual representation of the crime committed and shine a light on otherwise obscured details, ensuring a fairer path towards justice.

However, the mere existence of such footage is not enough. It is how we as a society choose to interpret and react to such evidence that will indeed determine the long-term effectiveness of these technological tools. Will we use them to further confirm our biases or will we allow them to expose uncomfortable truths and thereby challenge us to change?

The Ahmaud Arbery case is more than just a single incident. It represents a struggle for justice across the United States. It is a stark example of how technology, specifically body camera footage, can add layers of complexity to these cases but also render powerful insights and, by extension, hope for truth and justice. While we cannot rewrite the past, the objective eye of the body camera can certainly help ensure a more unbiased future.