Can AI Review of Body-Worn Camera Footage Improve Police Professionalism?

• In Event: Improving the Tracking of Police Officer Activity Through Novel Technology Applications (Sponsored by Division of Policing)

Abstract

This study evaluates the impact of an automated auditing system on police professionalism using body-worn camera (BWC) footage, addressing the challenge of manual review's high costs and labor intensity. Preliminary results from a pre-registered randomized-control trial (RCT) across a municipal police department and a county sheriff's office demonstrate the potential of machine learning in streamlining BWC footage audits. Our findings, based on pre- and post-implementation surveys of officers and a comprehensive process evaluation post-RCT, reveal shifts in perceptions towards the technology's effectiveness and its broader implications for police accountability. The study also examines secondary outcomes like use-of-force incidents and public complaints, contributing to the literature on leveraging technology for enhancing law enforcement oversight and professionalism.

Authors

• Ian T. Adams, University of South Carolina

• Kyle McLean, Clemson University

• Geoffrey Alpert, University of South Carolina