Do Body Cameras Make Police “Better”?

Authors: John McClusky, Craig Uchida, Shellie Solomon, Alese Wooditch, Christine Connor, Lauren Revier

Goal of the Study: The goal of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the implementation of Body Worn Cameras (BWCs) on procedural justice across the entirety of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD).

Background Information: Body Worn Cameras (BWCs) are a technological innovation that allows for the actions and decisions of police officers to be recorded for further evaluation and training aids. Although the research on their effectiveness is widespread across many different aspects of evaluation, their adoption by police departments have been slow. In modern American policing, hypotheses for this lacking rate of adoption surrounds the revitalized movement calling for proper treatment of minorities at the hands of police officers, as well as for transparency throughout the organizations of individuals who are sworn to serve and protect citizens of their jurisdiction. Further, procedural justice is a policing principle that revolves around the ways that officers portray information as well as the ways in which they speak to and treat civilians that they come across on duty. Proper procedural justice techniques allow for the civilian to have an open dialogue with the officer, as well as for the officer to hear said civilian out, as well as explain why they are making the decision they have chosen (e.g., arrest, warning, citation, etc.). Procedural justice consists of citizen participation, neutrality (lack of bias at onset of the encounter), dignity and respect, and trustworthy motives. Proper utilization of these four elements of procedural justice have been found to leave citizens satisfied with their encounters with police, even when penalizing (i.e., arrests, citations, etc.) decisions were made.

Research Methodology: Systematic Social Observations (see https://www.icpsr.umich.edu/web/pages/NACJD/guides/phdcn/sso.html) of 555 police-citizen encounters in Log Angeles, California were analyzed and data was collected regarding the actions of police officers as well as the citizens they encountered. Bivariate and Multivariate analysis was then completed to answer the research question: Does the implementation of Body Worn Cameras affect procedural justice delivered by police officers both directly and indirectly.

Results: Results indicate that significant increases in procedural justice (i.e., good police practices listed above) during police–citizen encounters were directly attributable to the effect of BWCs on police behavior as well as to the indirect effects on citizen disrespect and other variables.

Quote: “These results may be unique to the diverse police force and communities found in Los Angeles; however, they provide a launching point for a research agenda exploring how BWCs and variations in their implementation and use may affect everyday face-to-face encounters between police and citizens” (p. 232).

“What does it mean”?: This article finds that police ought to be wearing BWCs to ensure that their practices are being completed with effective procedural justice practices in mind. Discretion is a trait of the policing profession that can make good cops great, but bad cops worse, especially if it were to go unchecked. Police encounter individuals on a daily basis who are faced with the possibility that they might be getting a speeding ticket, or a citation, or even going to prison. Regardless of these potential outcomes, civilians are entitled to the right to be treated fairly, and have their opinions about what happened and/or the potential decision taken into account. This open dialogue is the essence of procedural justice, and although it is being practiced in an increasing amount of police departments across the country, there is still plenty of room for growth and improvement regarding the ways that it is trained, and the rates at which it is being implemented.

Link to article: http://web.b.ebscohost.com.pallas2.tcl.sc.edu/ehost/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=0de80e23-324f-4830-8b15-4b3bbc4424bb%40pdc-v-sessmgr03&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=136496833&db=i3h

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