Body-worn cameras in Nunavik Police: Outcomes of deployment and footage analysis of domestic violence interventions

• In Event: Poster Session 1

Abstract

This research addresses the lack of investigation into indigenous and remote police forces, particularly regarding the implementation of body-worn cameras (BWCs) within the Nunavik Police Service (NPS). The primary research question examines how the adoption of BWCs in 2020 within the NPS impacts policing interventions in general and specifically concerning domestic violence. It is relevant to deepen the understanding of domestic violence interventions in Nunavik given their prevalence in this region. Additionally, the captain in Kuujjuaq raises a challenge related to victim cooperation, where they are willing to testify on the BWC recording during the intervention but tend to refuse to make a statement after the intervention.

The overarching goal is to document and comprehend the multifaceted influences of BWCs on policing practices, with two objectives:

Understanding officers' perspectives on BWC usage and its impacts on their daily tasks.

Investigating the repercussions of BWC deployment during police interventions in domestic violence cases, focusing on victim behaviors pre and post-intervention and their legal implication.

To achieve these objectives, data collection was divided into two parts: interviews with police officers at the Nunavik Police Service, followed by the analysis of sequences of police interventions in cases of domestic violence, within the NPS.

Author

• Vicky Hotte, Université de Montréal