Body Worn Cameras, Use of Force, and Officer Discretion

Increases in Police Use of Force in the Presence of Body-Worn Cameras are Driven by Officer Discretion: A Protocol-Based Subgroup Analysis of Ten Randomized Experiments

Source

Journal of Experimental Criminology

Authors

Barak Ariel, Alex Sutherland, Darren Henstock, Josh Young, Paul Drover, Jayne Sykes, Simon Megicks, Ryan Henderson

 

The multi-site randomized controlled trial reported that police body-worn cameras (BWCs) had, on average, no effect on recorded incidents of police use of force. In some sites, rates of use of force decreased and in others increased. It was found that BWCs can reduce police use of force when officers' use of discretion to turn cameras on and off is minimized.

To read this study, click here.