Work

Body-worn cameras’ effects on police officers and citizen behavior: A systematic review

Year: 2020

Type: review

Abstract: 1.1 | Body-worn cameras (BWCs) do not have clear or consistent effects on most officer or citizen behaviors, but different practices need further evaluation Law enforcement agencies have rapidly adopted BWCs in the last decade with the hope that they might improve police conduct, accountability, and transparency, especially regarding use of force.Overall, there remains substantial uncertainty about whether BWCs can reduce officer use of force, but the variation in effects suggests there may be conditions in which BWC could be effective.BWCs also do not seem to affect other police and citizen behaviors in a consistent manner, including officers' selfinitiated activities or arrest behaviors, dispatched calls for service, or assaults and resistance against police officers.BWCs can reduce the number of citizen complaints against police officers, but it is unclear whether this finding signals an improvement in the quality of police-citizen interactions or a change in reporting.Research has not directly addressed whether BWCs can strengthen police accountability systems or police-citizen relationships.What is the aim of this review?This Campbell systematic summarizes the evidence from 30 studies of the effects of BWCs on several officer and citizen behaviors.The majority of studies are from the United States. | What is this review about?The last decade has been marked by the rapid adoption of BWCs by the police and a growing body of evaluation research on the technology's effects.Spurred on by high-profile officer-involved shooting incidents and protests, many citizens and community groups have supported the adoption of BWCs, hoping that this technology will deter police misconduct, better capture use-of-force events, and increase police accountability and transparency.At the same time, some police officers and community members have expressed concerns that BWCs might discourage citizens from reporting crimes or cause officers to pull back on preventative or proactive activities that may help prevent offending.This Campbell

Source: Campbell Systematic Reviews

DOI: 10.1002/cl2.1112