The impact of general police officer outlooks on their attitudes toward body-worn cameras

• Pages: 451-467
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/PIJPSM-10-2019-0163
• Published date: 06 April 2020
• Date: 06 April 2020
• Author: Scott W. Phillips,Dae-Young Kim,Joseph Gramaglia
• Subject Matter: Public policy & environmental management,Policing,Criminal justice,Juvenile/youth crime,Police studies,Health & social care,Criminology & forensic psychology,Criminology & criminal justice

The impact of general police officer

outlooks on their attitudes toward

body-worn cameras

Scott W. Phillips

Department of Criminal Justice, Buffalo State College, Buffalo, New York, USA

Dae-Young Kim

Department of Criminal Justice, SUNY–Buffalo State, Buffalo, New York, USA, and

Joseph Gramaglia

Buffalo Police Department, Buffalo, New York, USA

Abstract

Purpose –The past five years have seen a growth in studies of police body-worn cameras (BWCs). A large

share of the research focused on individual officer attitudes toward these new law enforcement tools. The

scholarship,however, focused almost exclusively on their positive and negative perceptions of body cameras or

correlations between those attitudes and general officer characteristics. This study examined whether the

influence of negative or “concerning”policing attitudes toward body cameras is mediated by other variables,

such as officer outlooks toward law enforcement, officers’perceptions of citizen cooperation or their opinions of

the public.

Design/methodology/approach –An online survey was distributed to a convenience sample of police

offices from two Northeastern police agencies.

Findings –Findings indicate that the relationship between experience and concerning perceptions of body

cameras is mediated by distrust in citizens and perceived civilian cooperation. Further, an office’s outlooks

regarding aggressive law enforcement tactics do not have a direct effect on concerning perceptions of body

cameras, nor do they serve as a mediator between years of experience and concerning perceptions of body

cameras.

Originality/value –Findings uncover the nuance and complexity of studying and understanding police

officer outlooks and perceptions of BWCs. Future experimental designs should include general outlook

measures.

Keywords Police, Officer attitudes, Body cameras

Paper type Research paper

Introduction

Over the past five years, there has been a substantial increase in the research exploring and

examining police body-worn cameras (BWCs). Lum et al. (2019) indicated that the empirical

studies of BWCs commonly fit within six general themes. First, scholars have examined the

impact of cameras on police officer behavior, such as the decision to use force or make an

arrest. This theme has received a large portion of scholarly attention. Second, research

explores the impact of BWCs on citizen behavior, such as their compliance with an officer’s

authority. Third, some researchers have examined citizen and community attitudes

regarding BWC. A fourth theme involves the utility of BWCs for criminal investigations

and evidentiary use in court. Fifth, some research examines the impact of BWCs on

organizational issues, such as training and improved accountability.

A sixth theme receiving an equally large share of inquiry focused on police officer’s

attitudes regarding these tools. The research tended to center on the relationship between a

police officer’s demographic characteristics, or other descriptive perceptions of cameras, and

Police officer

attitude to

body-worn

cameras

451

The authors would like to thank the officers and administrators of the Buffalo and Rochester Police

Departments for their participation in this research project.

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 20 October 2019

Revised 20 January 2020

Accepted 4 February 2020

Policing: An International Journal

Vol. 43 No. 3, 2020

pp. 451-467

© Emerald Publishing Limited

1363-951X

DOI 10.1108/PIJPSM-10-2019-0163

the officer’s attitudes toward BWC. Within this theme are issues characterized as “attitude

sub-categories.”For example, some research found that officers viewed cameras as a tool that

can reduce their use of force (Smith, 2019) or protect them from illegitimate complaints (Fallik

et al., 2018;Pelfrey and Kenner, 2018). Other research indicated that some officers changed

their views of BWC, usually for the better, once exposed to their utility (Clare et al., 2019;

Snyder et al., 2019;White et al., 2018). Others have argued, however, that officers’acceptance

of BWCs requires a multidimensional assessment to uncover the nuance and complexity of

police officers’subjective thinking toward this technology (Fallik et al., 2018;Kyle and White,

2017;Lum et al., 2019).

This study seeks to expand on the body of BWC scholarship. It examines the effect of a

police officer’s general outlooks of their occupation, and their view of public perceptions of

policing, on their negative or “concerning”opinions regarding BWCs. These technological

tools represent a change in policing, which “disrupts the status quo and engenders feelings of

anxiety, distrust, cynicism, and resentment”(Lawshe et al., 2019). Only a small number of

BWC attitude studies have gone beyond the demographic and general perception dimensions

to help understand an officer’s acceptance of body cameras. The survey instrument used here

gathered data on many of the BWC attitude measures used by other researchers. Further, the

survey asked police respondents their views regarding general law enforcement issues as

well as their perceptions of the citizens in their work areas. Thus, rather than compare officer

characteristics, their various opinions of BWC or where they work, with their acceptance of

BWC, this research included broad measures of policing outlooks (see also Todak and

Gaub, 2019).

Literature review

Attitude toward BWC

Research studies examining police body cameras have been categorized into six themes (Lum

et al., 2019). This review focuses primarily on those studies examining police attitudes toward

these new law enforcement tools. There are several subcategories within this theme,

providing a framework for predicting or explaining officers’opinions regarding body

cameras. This review demonstrates that multiple police dimensions are related to, or mediate,

their viewpoints toward BWCs. The first subcategory regarding the general use of body

cameras can be found in the earliest BWC research, conducted in the Plymouth Basic

Command Unit in the United Kingdom. A survey of agency police officers found that they

believed BWC equipment would be uncomfortable and bulky. A second subcategory focused

on using BWCs for evidentiary purposes. Several studies reported that officers saw a BWC as

tool to improve evidence collection and quality (Clare et al., 2019;Gaub et al., 2016;Goodall,

2007;Jennings et al., 2015;Pelfrey and Kenner, 2018;Smith, 2019;White et al., 2018). Police

officers also felt a BWC could improve their recollection of incident events, reducing errors in

their report writing (Jennings et al., 2015;Pelfrey and Kenner, 2018). Along the lines of

improved reporting, some officers indicated that they were in favor of having the opportunity

to review BWC images of a critical incident. Female officers, however, disagreed that officers

should have this opportunity (Gramaglia and Phillips, 2018).

A third attitude subcategory is whether the BWC will impact various aspects of police–

citizen encounters. Several studies reported that officers believed that BWC would not be

accepted by the public or improve police–citizen interactions (Fallik et al., 2018;Katz et al.,

2014;Tankebe and Ariel, 2016). Others found that officers believed BWCs would increase

public respect and trust for the police (Gramaglia and Phillips, 2018;Goodall, 2007;McLean

et al., 2015) or provide a calming effect on citizens (Clare et al., 2019;Koen et al., 2019). Police

officers in Pittsburgh strongly felt that using BWC can help maintain good police–

community relations (Goetschel and Peha, 2017). Another subcategory, somewhat related

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