Examining the Relationship Between Departmental Professionalism and Body-Worn Camera Policy Positions

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

Abstract

The implementation of a body-worn camera (BWC) program has quickly become a preferred method for improving police-community relations, enhancing accountability, and increasing the civility of officer-citizen interactions. Despite these common goals, police departments often vary widely in terms of how they handle specific issues in their BWC policies, from activation and citizen notification to supervisor authority to review footage. There is currently little understanding of the factors that influence a department’s BWC policy decision-making. The current study explores this question with data from two sources: (1) the 2013 Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) survey; and (2) the results of a policy analysis we conducted with 81 BWC policies. Using these data, we examine the relationship between 81 BWC policy positions favoring accountability and transparency, and five indicators of departmental professionalism: (a) agency commitment to education; (b) the number of hiring or screening standards; (c) the total number of training hours; (d) female representation; and (e) agency commitment to community policing.

Authors

• Michaela Reed Flippin, Arizona State University

• Michael D. White, Arizona State University