The Importance Of Body-Worn Cameras

In recent years, law enforcement agencies across the country have been pressured to be more transparent and increase officer accountability. The most prominent manner in which law enforcement agencies have attempted to meet these demands is through the implementation of body-worn cameras. Few studies have been conducted in the recent history of body-worn cameras on law enforcement officers. There are still many questions regarding body-worn camera utilization that must be addressed to obtain a clear picture of the effect these cameras have on policing. As with all challenges to the status quo, there is a resistance to change. Body-worn camera implementation in law enforcement is no exception. Within his research describing the difficulties law enforcement reforms face, Skogan (2008), observed that law enforcement officers are not exempt from the same desire other professionals possess to limit their workload. Law enforcement officers on the street do not want to take on duties that increase the amount of work they are responsible for.
The negative view of cameras is compounded if the officer feels the value of a body-worn camera is not legitimate (Young & Ready, 2014). The initial value is diminished due to inherent resistance of officers when new techniques …show more content…
Ariel, Farrar, and Sutherland (2014) conducted a randomized study in Rialto, California to determine the effect of body-worn cameras on uses of force and citizen complaints. A study conducted in Phoenix, Arizona provided cameras to officers in one district and utilized a similar district without cameras as the control study (Katz, Choate, Ready, & Nuño, 2014). Katz et al. (2014) sought to determine the effect body-worn cameras had on officer job performance and satisfaction. Ready and Young (2015) conducted a randomized study in Mesa, Arizona to determine officer behavior and perceptions of body-worn