Public Support for Police Body Cameras: The Role of Class, Race & Neighborhood Context

• In Event: Policing with Body Worn Cameras

Abstract

Body cameras have been cited as the solution for police brutality in the United States. Previous research has shown that body cameras reduce officers’ likelihood of using force (Ariel, Farrar, and Sutherland 2015) and decrease stop-and-frisk encounters as well as arrests (Mesa Police Department 2013). While one national survey found that the public overwhelmingly supports the use of body cameras (YouGov 2014), the basis of that support is unclear. The current research focuses on the impact of socioeconomic status, race, and other factors on community attitudes toward body cameras. We survey 100 residents in each of six neighborhoods in Ogden, Utah characterized as high, medium, or low risk. The survey asks about support for the use of body cameras and willingness to pay higher taxes for the cameras, as well as perceptions of racial profiling and community policing in the city. We expect to find that perceptions of body cameras and willingness to support higher taxes for their implementation are stratified based on neighborhood context as well as demographics. These findings will add further detail to our understanding of the public’s support for a contemporary policing practice that appears to impact police-citizen encounters in particular and police-community relations more generally.

Authors

• Carlee Sara Smith, Weber State University

• Monica Williams, Weber State University