Practice Profile: Body-Worn Cameras’ Effects on Police Officer Behavior

This practice involves the use of body-worn cameras by law enforcement. The aim of this practice is to record interactions from an officer’s point of view to improve accountability and positively affect police officer behavior. The practice is rated Ineffective for its effects on officer use of force, officer injuries, officer-initiated calls for service, traffic stops, field interviews, and arrest incidents.

Practice Goals

Body-worn cameras are recording devices worn by law enforcement officers. These cameras record activities, events, and interactions with members of the community from the officer’s vantage point. Law enforcement uses body-worn cameras for numerous reasons. For example, the cameras can capture an objective record of events, rather than forcing agencies to rely solely on written reports from officers or accounts from citizens, thereby potentially encouraging mutual accountability during encounters. Additionally, body-worn cameras are also thought to improve police conduct and transparency, especially regarding police use of force (Lum et al. 2020).

Practice Components

Officers can wear body-worn cameras on their clothing (on the chest, shirt pocket, collar, or shoulder) or mounted on a helmet or glasses. The cameras are small enough to be worn without encumbering officers in their regular work (Ariel, Farrar, and Sutherland 2015).

Body-worn cameras can be used in numerous ways, depending on the jurisdiction employing them. For example, some police departments give body-worn cameras only to officers in specialized units, such as tactical, gang, undercover, or K9 units. Other departments make use of body-worn cameras for all uniformed officers. The function of the body-worn camera can also vary across jurisdictions. Some cameras turn on by default and remain in operation through the officer’s entire shift (though there are some exceptions for interactions with informants, or in cases of serious sexual assault). Other cameras are turned on manually by the officers wearing them. Law enforcement officers can be instructed to inform citizens that the body-worn camera is on and recording them, though some agencies do not require such notifications (Lum et al. 2020).

Practice Theory

The use of body-worn cameras is rooted in two theories: deterrence theory and perceived social surveillance. Deterrence theory states (in part) that the certainty of getting caught and punished for wrongdoing decreases the likelihood of engaging in wrongdoing. In the case of body-worn cameras, the camera serves as a “credible threat” in the detection of negative behaviors, such as the use of excessive force by police officers, and thus decreases the likelihood of those behaviors (Ariel et al. 2016). Additionally, research proposes that people are more likely to adhere to social norms and change their conduct in a socially desirable direction when they are aware of being observed (Farrar and Ariel 2013). When civilians are aware they are being monitored through a body-worn camera, they are less likely to be aggressive and more inclined to cooperate with law enforcement officers. In turn, police officers would be less likely to react inappropriately by behaving in a rude manner or using excessive force.

These sources were used in the development of the practice profile:

These sources were used in the development of the practice profile:

Following are CrimeSolutions-rated programs that are related to this practice:

Police Body-Worn Cameras (Rialto, Calif.)

Body-Worn Cameras to Reduce Use of Force by and Against Police in Eight Police Departments in the U.K. and U.S.

Police Body-Worn Cameras (Birmingham South, UK)

Body-Worn Cameras (Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department)

Police Body-Worn Cameras (Washington, D.C.)

New York City Police Department Body-Worn Cameras’ Effects on Civility and Lawfulness of Police–Citizen Encounters and Policing Activities

Effects of Body-Worn Cameras on Reducing Rates of Citizen Fatalities

Police Body-Worn Video (Australia)

Milwaukee (Wisconsin) Police Department Body-Worn Cameras

Police Body-Worn Cameras (Boston, Massachusetts)

Why might a practice's outcome ratings differ from the ratings of specific programs encompassed by that practice?