Evaluating Body-Worn Cameras: A Randomized Controlled Trial of Impact on Use of Force, Community Member Complaints, and Community Trust

• In Event: Acquisition, Use, and Impacts of New Technologies in Policing

Abstract

Police body-worn cameras (BWCs) are being rapidly and widely adopted by law enforcement. As a result, the question of “Should police use BWCs?” is becoming less relevant than “How should police use BWCs?” Past studies, while informative about the strengths and weakness of employing BWCs versus not, offer limited understandings of the best practices for how to use this technology. To address this gap in knowledge about the use of BWCs, the Urban Institute and partners evaluated different implementations of BWCs in a single police department. Specifically, the study focused on the intersection of procedural justice behaviors among officers and BWCs through the collection of community surveys and departmental administrative records. This presentation will describe the study’s findings, including the outcomes of community satisfaction, arrest rates, community members’ awareness of a BWC on an officer, and officer activation of BWCs.

Authors

• David McClure, Urban Institute

• Nancy G La Vigne, Urban Institute, Justice Policy Center

• Daniel S Lawrence, RTI International, Policing Research Program

• Aili Malm, California State University, San Bernardino

• Mathew Lynch, Urban Institute

• Laura Golian, Urban Institute, Justice Policy Center