The Implementation of Body-Worn Cameras and Organizational Change at a Mid-Sized Police Agency

• In Event: Body-Worn Cameras: Factors Shaping Organizational Implementation and Change

Abstract

Extant research on body-worn cameras have mostly focused on policing outcomes (e.g., citizen complaints) or perceptions, with an exception of a small number of studies considering the implementation of body-worn cameras. The purpose of this paper is to present preliminary findings concerning a study of the implementation of body-worn cameras at the Pennybridge Police Department (pseudonym), a mid-sized (<300 sworn officers), city-level police agency in the Midwestern United States, which implemented body-worn cameras before becoming a part of public discourse. In particular, we consider the impacts of this technology on key organizational features such as reporting, training, discretion, public relations, supervision, and citizen encounters. We find that in contrast to the hopes of those who see body-worn cameras as a mechanism for reform, body cameras had very little impact on these organizational structures and practices.

Authors

• Melinda R. Roberts, University of Southern Indiana

• Marthinus C. Koen, University of Southern Indiana

• Bryce Newell, University of Oregon