Research and Issues Regarding Body Worn Cameras

Session Submission Type: Complete Thematic Panel

Abstract

The Office of Justice Programs has supported several initiatives around the implementation of body worn cameras in police agencies, including an evaluation of their implementation in the Phoenix Police Department, a randomized, controlled experiment in the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, and a comprehensive literature review on research and experimentation with body worn cameras in the US and the UK, among others. To date, research suggests that body worn cameras positively affect police behavior, resulting in fewer citizen complaints and use of force incidents. The extant research, however, does not reflect rigorous research designs, and leaves several questions unanswered, such as: what is the effect of the cameras on citizen behavior? what is the effect of the cameras on citizen perceptions of police legitimacy? and how can camera technology improve police training? This panel will feature police practitioners and researchers currently on the front lines of body worn camera implementation, and will explore how police agencies and researchers should collaborate to improve our knowledge about the use and effects of body worn cameras.

Sub Unit

• Area IV. Criminal Justice Policy and Practice / 39. Policing and Law Enforcement

Individual Presentations

• Assessing the Evidence on the Impact and Consequences of Police Officer Body-Worn Cameras - Michael D. White, Arizona State University

• Evaluating the effectiveness of Police Body Worn Cameras - Charles Katz, Arizona State University; Michael Kurtenbach, Phoenix Police Department

• Research on Body Worn Cameras: Design and Implementation - William Sousa, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Chair

• Vivian Elliott, CNA