Analyzing Body-Worn Camera Footage: Interactions of Police in the Administration of Narcan

• In Event: Qualitative Research in Criminal Justice Contexts

Abstract

The current study describes a data collection tool used to code body-worn camera (BWC) footage from encounters where police administer naloxone to community members experiencing an opioid overdose. The data collection tool, developed as part of a larger project focused on the opioid crisis in Tempe, AZ, captures information related to the setting, characteristics of the officer(s) and individuals on scene (e.g. person who overdosed and others), and what transpired over the course of the incident (e.g., naloxone administration(s), use of force, verbal and behavioral cues, medical transportation, etc). In order to demonstrate the data tool “in action,” the authors describe the coding of footage from OD scenes in 2022-23 involving Tempe police officers from 2023. The two authors coded BWC videos, and we discuss the coding process, the limitations of coding BWC footage, ethical and privacy concerns with data access, and the inter-rater reliability process. Through a mixed-method approach, the results will be discussed through descriptive statistics and themes found during the inter-rater reliability process. The findings have implications and lessons learned for the use of BWC footage as data to study police encounters with community members.

Authors

• Genesis Belen Navarrete, Arizona State University

• Corrine Paige Creasy, Arizona State University

• Mike White, Arizona State University

• Seth Watts, Arizona State University