Evaluating Body-Worn Cameras (BWCs) in the Rochester Police Department

• In Event: Police Body-Worn Cameras: Perceptions and Outcomes

Abstract

The adoption of body-worn cameras (BWCs) in agencies across the country is anticipated to yield changes in police practices and processes. The Rochester, NY Police Department, a law enforcement agency of approximately 750 officers serving 210,000 people, deployed 425 BWC between the summer of 2016 and Winter 2017. The current research seeks to assess the technology's impact on patterns of use of force, arrests, calls for service, and civilian complaints. The present study is contextualized by additional research utilizing mixed-methods including observations, structured interviews, and surveys to establish processes and routines pre-implementation and describe changes post-implementation.

Authors

• Nate Lemahieu, Rochester Institute of Technology

• Irshad Altheimer, Rochester Institute of Technology

• John Klofas, Rochester Institute of Technology

• John McCluskey, Rochester Institute of Technology