Officers' perceptions regarding the unexpected effects of body-worn cameras

• Published date: 13 March 2020
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/PIJPSM-09-2019-0153
• Pages: 390-402
• Date: 13 March 2020
• Author: Jordan C. Pickering
• Subject Matter: Public policy & environmental management,Policing,Criminal justice,Juvenile/youth crime,Police studies,Health & social care,Criminology & forensic psychology,Criminology & criminal justice

Officers’perceptions regarding the

unexpected effects of

body-worn cameras

Jordan C. Pickering

Department of Criminology, California State University, Fresno, California, USA

Abstract

Purpose –Throughout the last decade, a number of empirical studies have assessed the effectiveness of body-

worn cameras (BWCs) among law enforcement agencies across the United States. The purpose of this paper is

to examine officers’perceptions regarding the impact this technology has had on police-community relations,

as well as the working relationship between police and other actors in the criminal justice system (e.g.

prosecutors, jurors).

Design/methodology/approach –The author conducted focus groups with officers (n589) from two local

law enforcement agencies in California that had adopted BWCs in recent years. Participating officers discussed

advantages and disadvantages they associated with BWCs, as well as how BWCs have impacted their

relationship with the public and justice system personnel.

Findings –Officers recognized advantages to using BWCs, including the potential for positive changes in

police behavior and the ability to protect officers against false citizen complaints. Officers also identified a

number of disadvantages (or consequences) they associate with BWCs, such as the depreciation of credibility

behind an officer’s word and the impact of video footage on prosecutorial decision-making.

Originality/value –Prior studies have gathered officers’perceptions regarding BWCs, but very few have

assessed whether and how the use of this technology by law enforcement influences other actors within the

criminal justice system. The findings from this study may prompt further empirical consideration regarding

BWCs, especially with regard to whether police use of this technology significantly impacts citizens’trust in the

police and how their use may impact prosecutorial and juror decision-making.

Keywords Police, Police–community relations, Body-worn cameras

Paper type Research paper

Introduction

Increased attention on the police in recent years has prompted many police departments

across the United States to address citizens’concerns regarding police behavior, particularly

as they relate to the use of force. For example, citizens may feel as though police departments

cannot be trusted to conduct an impartial investigation of the incident or that they

purposefully fail to report certain details about the incident to the public in an attempt to

cover up officers’mistakes. To address these and other issues associated with transparency,

law enforcement agencies have changed policies and procedures, created citizen review

boards, and in many cases, opted to equip their officers with body-worn cameras (BWCs).

According to 2016 figures, 60 percent of local law enforcement agencies and nearly half of

the sheriffs’offices in the US are using BWCs (Hyland, 2018). It would be reasonable to

assume then that the number of police departments utilizing this technology has only

increased in recent years (Lum et al., 2019;White, 2019). Therefore, it is imperative that we

understand the positive and negative impact this technology has on both the public and the

criminal justice system.

PIJPSM

43,2

390

The author would like to thank the reviewers and Maribeth Rezey for the helpful feedback they

provided. The author would also like to thank Chadley James and Jacqueline Wink for their assistance

with this study.

Funding: The author received funding for this study from the College of Social Sciences at California

State University, Fresno.

The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:

https://www.emerald.com/insight/1363-951X.htm

Received 14 September 2019

Revised 22 December 2019

Accepted 6 January 2020

Policing: An International Journal

Vol. 43 No. 2, 2020

pp. 390-402

© Emerald Publishing Limited

1363-951X

DOI 10.1108/PIJPSM-09-2019-0153