The Effects of Body-Worn Cameras on Self-Initiated Police Encounters

Beginning in the summer of 2014, a series of controversial deaths in the US, often involving white officers and unarmed minority men, contributed to the growing debate about the need for increased transparency and accountability in policing. Central to the debate has been the call for more body-worn cameras (BWCs), a widely adopted technology that promises numerous benefits through real-time recording of police-public encounters. However, critics of this technology claim that increased surveillance of their behavior may lead to de-policing where officers choose to reduce the quality and/or quantity of their self-initiated police work. This claim has recently received empirical scrutiny in the context of the two main self-initiated activities underlying police work: foot patrols and traffic stops. However, the studies have mainly been outcome-orientated (e.g., stop and frisk or issuance of a citation) rather than activity-focused. The de-policing claim is tested here using data from a lengthy, quasi-experimental evaluation of BWCs in a large US police department. The findings show that the number of foot patrols and traffic stops conducted did not vary based on whether an officer wore a BWC or not. Policy and theoretical implications of these findings are discussed.