In November, the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) Diagnostic Center published the blog post “The Impact of Body-Worn Cameras: Perceptions and Reality,” which reviews common conceptions and misconceptions about body-worn cameras (BWCs) and discusses relevant research-based evidence. The blog post was authored by subject matter experts Michael White, Ph.D., a professor and the director of the Ph.D. program for Arizona State University’s School of Criminology & Criminal Justice, and James “Chip” Coldren, Jr., Ph.D., the managing director for justice programs at CNA’s Institute for Public Research.
Using evidence from research studies and real-life scenarios, Dr. White and Dr. Coldren reviewed the following ideas, which were proved to be true or false, about the impact of BWCs among police officers and the community:
- Police officers do not like BWCs.
- Residents approve police adoption of BWCs.
- BWCs can lead to reductions in police use of force and resident complaints.
- BWCs generate valuable evidence.
- BWCs will always capture what happens during a police-resident encounter.
To learn more, read the full OJP Diagnostic Center blog post.