This Struggle Between A Police Officer And Suspect Shows Why Body Cams Are So Useful

There are two sides to every story of a police encounter, but often it's the dash cam video from the police cruiser that settles the debate.

That video in some circumstances however can bring about more questions than answers, and there's been a push for police officers to wear cameras on their body. A recent video release from Celina Police Department in Texas demonstrates a good reason why.

The start of the video shows the angle from the cruiser's dash cam, which captures the officer behind another vehicle asking the suspect questions before both the officer and the suspect end up on the ground in a struggle.

It appears like it could be a possible case of excessive force.

But as Celina police chief Mark Metdker told NBC, "our officers know that when they step out of the vehicle, everything they're doing and saying is being documented."

For Metdker's officers, that means a dash cam is recording audio and video from the vehicle, in addition to a body camera clipped to their shirt, which needs to be activated on every call.

In this instance, the body camera tells a very different story. Out of nowhere, the suspect appears to throw a punch at the officer, who then takes him down to the ground. "You don't want to do this," the officer says as he's trying to subdue him.

The man, who was being questioned over an alleged domestic disturbance, was arrested for assault, according to Police One.

After releasing the video, which was posted publicly to the department's YouTube page, Metdker told NBC he believed the future of policing was transparency.

"Let's be as transparent as possible," he said. "We have nothing to hide."

You can watch the full video below: