Preliminary Results from the Chicago Police Department's Body Worn Cameras Program

• In Event: Evaluating Body-Worn Cameras and Smart Policing

Abstract

Police departments nationwide continue to embrace body-worn camera (BWC) technology with increasing prevalence. As a consequence, this trend requires committed partnerships between police agencies and researchers to understand the impact of this new tool on police and the communities they serve. The Chicago Police Department (CPD), the second largest in the nation, serves more than 2.7 million people. The department is currently expanding the use of BWCs in multiple districts, to aid criminal investigations and increase the accountability and protection for both police officers and citizens. CPD has partnered with the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Center for Research in Law and Justice to evaluate the department’s BWC program. The study is examining how the program is being implemented and what impact it has on the perceptions and behaviors of both police officers and the community members with whom they have contact. This presentation offers preliminary findings from internal and external (community) assessments, presenters will focus on lessons learned from the study related to technology, policy, training, and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) strategy.

Author

• Jonathan H. Lewin, Chicago Police Department