Everyone’s Gonna Get Arrested: Police Discretion and Body Worn Cameras

• In Event: Policing with Body Worn Cameras

Abstract

Police officers are given discretion in application of the law. This particularly applies to police-citizen encounters, when an officer can make a decision on whether or not to ticket or arrest an individual, which can work both for and against citizens. Examining the three operational styles of policing offered by James Q. Wilson, this study explores data from in-depth interviews with 15 police officers about the use and implementation of body worn cameras in their respective departments, and how the uniform body cameras can potentially affect use of discretion. Findings indicate that police officers are concerned their discretion will be taken away if wearing a uniform body camera. Therefore, to avoid being scrutinized for their decisions in police-public interactions, they will simply ticket or arrest everyone as required by law, instead of providing leeway and understanding on an individual basis. These comments reflect a possible change in policing style, from service or watchmen oriented policing into a legalistic style of policing, which could have adverse implications for police-community relations.

Author

• Ashley K. Farmer, Illinois State University