Increases in Police Use of Force and Body-Worn Cameras

Objectives

  • Analysis of police body-worn cameras (BWCs) effects on police use of force.

  • Findings of no overall effect on incidents of police use of force, with variations across different sites.

Background

  • Concern: Excessive police use of force and the need for fair, proportional enforcement.

  • Context: BWCs introduced globally to potentially reduce police force through deterrence.

  • Research Gap: Limited empirical evidence on BWC effectiveness. Study conducted across ten randomized trials to evaluate multiple outcomes like use of force and citizen complaints.

Key Findings

  • No Overall Effect: BWCs showed an average null effect on police use of force. Some sites reported decreases; others reported increases in use of force.

  • Discretion's Role:

    • High Compliance: When officers strictly followed protocols, use of force rates decreased by 37%.

    • No Compliance: Instances when officers decided when to turn the cameras on or off, use of force increased by 71%.

    • Null Effects: When full discretion was exercised, no significant differences in use of force compared to control conditions.

Methodology

Experimental Procedures

  • Participants: Involved 2,122 patrol officers across eight police departments, totaling over 2 million officer-hours.

  • Conditions: Random assignment of patrol shifts to either ‘cameras on’ or ‘cameras off’ to ensure consistent treatment implementation.

  • Compliance Levels:

    • High Compliance: No discretion for officers.

    • Low Compliance: Officers had discretion during both treatment and control groups.

    • Mixed Compliance: Compliance in control conditions but discretion during treatment.

Definitions

  • Use of Force: Any physical restraint beyond handcuffing to control a suspect.

  • Treatment Integrity Failure: Occurs when officers do not adhere to protocols on when and where to utilize BWCs.

Implications

  • Behavioral Changes: BWCs can influence behavior but require strict adherence to usage protocols to have a positive impact.

  • Future Recommendations:

    • Cameras should always be on during interactions, accompanied by verbal notifications to involved parties about recording.

    • Need for further research on decision-making processes surrounding officer discretion and BWC use.

Full discretion allows officers to choose when to turn body-worn cameras (BWCs) on or off without any restrictions, leading to the potential for arbitrary decision-making in camera usage. Conversely, no compliance refers to instances when officers do not follow the established protocols regarding BWC usage at all, which can include periods where they neglect to activate the cameras during critical interactions or abuse their ability to decide when to record.

In both cases, the lack of adherence to protocol can affect accountability; however, full discretion implies that officers have the authority to make those choices, while no compliance indicates a failure to adhere to any guidelines that should govern BWC operation. In the study, these differences were reflected in the impact on police use of force, as full discretion showed null effects, while no compliance led to significant increases in force used by officers.