New Yorkers awoke from a dark and cold January night, shocked to find out that yet another police tragedy had befallen their city. Two more police officers were wounded, one in critical condition, in an armed robbery/gunfight that occurred in the borough of the Bronx. This incident comes just two weeks after another pair of cops were infamously murdered execution style while sitting in their police cruisers.

Officers of the NYPD immediately set out for retribution. One officer commented, “We need to find this guy.” Officers then set out searching the surrounding neighborhoods trying to find the gunman. A person of interest checked into an area hospital early Tuesday morning, and police are currently following up on this lead. Currently, a 12,000 dollar reward is being offered for the “bearded man,” that police say is the likely suspect.

NYC Mayor Bill De Blasio said it best when he commented, “Rather than going home, the police went to look for the criminals.” De Blasio later described this act as “extraordinarily brave” and “part of their commitment.”

This incident, along with the aforementioned murders, stands as the most recent example in a long struggle of ordinary citizens versus law enforcement. Arguably the biggest news story of 2014 was the Ferguson shooting, trial and ensuing riots. Another notable incident is the killing of a minor by law enforcement when he pointed a toy gun at the police. Both sides of this issue have not hesitated to play the race card, making the issue a political hotbed as well as a popular topic of debate.

In regards of the Ferguson trial, a solution has been posed to equip law enforcement officers with mounted cameras. This would capture one-hundred percent video evidence of what actually went down, and remove much of the controversy that leads to civil unrest.

Cincinnati’s own Chief Jeffery Blackwell stated, “Body cameras could have helped in Ferguson,” and the city is currently implementing a program to equip 600 officers with cameras to wear on the beat. However, the opposing argument to this plan is the expense to equip officers. Cincinnati’s program would cost over 1.5 million dollars. While Cincinnati has the power to raise such money, smaller communities and townships throughout the United States would certainly have a problem raising the adequate money to equip local officers with cameras. The debate goes on.

Another point in favor of equipping officers with cameras can be made regarding the recent events in NYC. Had the cops had cameras shooting at the time of the incident, then certainly the process of hunting down the man responsible could be reduced tremendously.

A counter point can also be made. Given the fact that most businesses have cameras, it takes away the need for officers to have cameras on them, and the amount of money needed to equip officers with such devices can then be deemed unnecessary. The aforementioned “bearded man” has been identified as the likely suspect by using the surveillance footage of a local Chinese restaurant.

The debate on these issues is ongoing, and the recent events in NYC over the past two weeks stand as a testament to the struggle that is sweeping the nation between ordinary citizens and cops-between the white and black communities. Can America find a way to end the controversy?