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Assessing citizen perceptions of body-worn cameras after encounters with police

Michael D. White (School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Arizona State University, Phoenix, Arizona, USA)
Natalie Todak (School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Arizona State University, Phoenix, Arizona, USA)
Janne E. Gaub (School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, Arizona State University, Phoenix, Arizona, USA)

Policing: An International Journal

ISSN: 1363-951X

Article publication date: 20 November 2017

3803

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to assess perceptions of body-worn cameras (BWCs) among citizens who had BWC-recorded police encounters, and to explore the potential for a civilizing effect on citizen behavior.

Design/methodology/approach

From June to November 2015, the authors conducted telephone interviews with 249 citizens in Spokane (WA) who had a recent BWC-recorded police encounter.

Findings

Respondents were satisfied with how they were treated during the police encounter and, overall, had positive attitudes about BWCs. However, only 28 percent of respondents were actually aware of the BWC during their own encounter. The authors also found little evidence of a civilizing effect but did document a significant, positive connection between awareness of the BWC and enhanced perceptions of procedural justice.

Research limitations/implications

Authors only interviewed citizens who had encounters with officers wearing BWCs. However, variation in BWC awareness among citizens allowed the authors to construct a proxy “non-BWC condition” for comparison.

Practical implications

The pre-conditions necessary to produce a civilizing effect among citizens are complex and difficult to achieve. The intriguing relationship between BWC awareness and procedural justice suggests the technology may have the potential to improve police legitimacy.

Originality/value

The study is among the first to explore attitudes about BWCs among those who have their police encounters recorded, and results demonstrate high levels of support among this population. Findings bode well for continued adoption of BWCs in policing.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

The research was funded by the Laura and John Arnold Foundation (LJAF). The opinions expressed here are those of the authors and are not necessarily those of LJAF. The authors would like to thank Jessica Herbert, Gabriel Cesar, Doug Mellom, Logan Somers, Jonathan Hernandez, Megan Parry, and Kathleen Padilla for their efforts in carrying out the citizen survey research. The authors also thank the Spokane Police Department for their cooperation, especially Mardee Ellis, Tim Schwering, and Ryan Snider.

Citation

White, M.D., Todak, N. and Gaub, J.E. (2017), "Assessing citizen perceptions of body-worn cameras after encounters with police", Policing: An International Journal, Vol. 40 No. 4, pp. 689-703. https://doi.org/10.1108/PIJPSM-07-2016-0105

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2017, Emerald Publishing Limited

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