Body-Worn Camera Site Spotlight: Park City, UT

Body-Worn Camera Site Spotlight: Park City, Utah

Integrating Body-Worn and In-Car Camera Systems

Source

BWC TTA (2020)

Authors

Aili Malm, California State University, Long Beach and Michael D. White, Arizona State University

 

Park City, Utah, is known for its beautiful alpine scenery, its magnificent skiing, and as host of the Sundance Film Festival, but it was also one of the first US jurisdictions to implement body worn cameras (BWCs). In 2013, the Park City Police Department (PCPD) decided BWCs might help its officers better serve their 8,000 full-time residents and the 100,000 tourists that descend on the city during peak season. They were right—after BWCs were deployed, uses of force dropped by 42 percent and complaints declined drastically. According to the city prosecutor, the courts also benefited. Clearance rates went up and trials using BWC evidence were stronger and shorter. However, as with most programs, BWCs come with both benefits and costs, and sometimes those costs are not anticipated. PCPD experienced these unanticipated costs firsthand.

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