Analyzing Effects of Police Body-Worn Cameras on Officer Behavior

This report examines the effects of police body-worn cameras on officer behavior in the United States, utilizing a mixed-methods approach to analyze both quantitative and qualitative data. The research aims to determine if body-worn cameras increase transparency and accountability, reduce violent interactions between citizens and police, and provide video evidence for disciplinary actions. It also addresses challenges related to the implementation and use of body-worn cameras, such as storage costs, organizational difficulties, and confidentiality concerns. The research explores the perspectives of both police officers and citizens, considering the potential positive and negative impacts of camera usage on behavior and interactions, while acknowledging mixed findings from previous evaluations and the need for further research in this area. Desklib provides access to this assignment and a wealth of resources, including past papers and solved assignments, to support students in their academic endeavors.

Running head: Effects of police body-worn camera and officers behavior 1

Effects of police body-worn camera and officers behavior 2
Contents
Research Title..............................................................................................................................................2
Methods......................................................................................................................................................3
Research statement.....................................................................................................................................3
Research Aim...............................................................................................................................................4
Summary.....................................................................................................................................................5
Purpose of the research:.............................................................................................................................6
Research Objectives:...................................................................................................................................6
Research Questions:....................................................................................................................................7
Research Variables:.....................................................................................................................................7
Research Challenges:...................................................................................................................................8
Research Methodology:............................................................................................................................10
Conclusion.................................................................................................................................................12
References:................................................................................................................................................14

Effects of police body-worn camera and officers behavior 3
Research Title
The research topic is” to analyze the effects of police body-worn cameras and officer’s
behavior”: In the context of United States”.
Background of the topic
The body-worn camera is expensive. Mostly it is costly due to cost of storage and cost of
managing the video footage. It contains many organizational difficulties. For example, state
power, access to video footage and the secrecy or confidentiality. The body-worn cameras make
concerns for the protection and health of the police officers. It requires the more investment in
the training and the police development programmed (Drover & Ariel, 2015).

Effects of police body-worn camera and officers behavior 4
Methods
In this research study utilizes a mixed-methods approach. Specifically, a mixed methods
design allows the researcher the opportunity to highlight and embrace the advantage associated
with quantitative and qualitive methods while the mixed approach also reduces bias linked to
either a quantitative or qualitative design including assisting with reliability and trustworthiness
of the study. From the utilization of qualitative method, the researcher will able create the
conceptual knowledge regarding the research problems through creating depth knowledge about
research issues. In oppose to this, from the utilization of quantitative research method, the
researcher will able to perform the statistical work to collect the appropriate information for
solving the research dilemma. In addition to this, it can also be said that combined research
method will support the researcher to evaluate the views and beliefs of people about the research
issue. On the other hand, it can also be said that the mixed research method can decline the
research quality (Ariel, Farrar & Sutherland, 2015).
Research statement
The purpose of this study is to analyze the effects of police body-worn cameras and officer’s
behavior. In the policing context, the police body-born camera is likely to encourage the loyalty
of police to departmental protocols to decrease incidents of misconduct or unprofessional
behavior. The citizens who interact with body- worn camera equipped report that police officers
are less likely to engage in wrong behavior. It highlights the fear of being caught and the self-
awareness. It will have humanizing effect on the citizens and the police officers. According to
Oliver (2014) when the behavior of the police officers and citizens is being recorded, then they

Effects of police body-worn camera and officers behavior 5
are required to behave in good and proper way. The camera footage helps to resolve the cases
easily, in a prudent manner and in time. The effects could be positive or negative (Keeffe, 2016).
Research Aim
The aim of the research is to check the functioning of body-worn cameras and to understand the
utility of the same.
Research Objectives
1. To see whether the body-worn camera creates transparency thereby generating a view of
the sincerity and loyalty of the police officers towards the citizens.
2. To check how the use of the body-worn camera decreases the violent interactions
between the citizens and the police officer.
3. To see if the video footage can be represented as evidence that corrupt police officers can
be easily disciplined or fired. It also helps the police officers to involve in the corruption
and fault again.
4. To understand the many challenges in respect of the body-worn camera.
Research Questions
1. How the body-worn camera create transparency?
2. How do body-worn cameras decrease violent interactions?
3. How can the video footage be used as evidence?
4. What are the challenges in respect of the body worn camera?

Effects of police body-worn camera and officers behavior 6
Summary
From the above analysis it can be said that there are advantages of body–worn camera as well as
disadvantages. The complaints against the body-worn camera equipped police officers are more
than complaints against the police officer not wearing the body-worn camera. The variances
between the two are marginal. So many evaluations have been conducted in this regard but the
findings are found mixed.

Effects of police body-worn camera and officers behavior 7
Purpose of the research:
The purpose of this research is to dissect the impacts of police body-worn cameras and
officer's code of conduct. In the policing background, the police body-conceived camera is
probably going to energize the devotion of police to departmental conventions to diminish
episodes of offense or amateurish conduct with common people (Young & Ready, 2016). The
residents who collaborate with a body worn camera prepared report that police officers are less
inclined to participate in the wrong conduct. It features the dread of being caught red-handed and
the mindfulness. It will have an adapting impact on the subjects and the police officers. The
purpose is at the point when the conduct of the police officers and subjects is being recorded,
they are required to carry on in a decent and appropriate way. The body-worn camera serves the
purpose. It likewise produces the subject perspective of the genuineness and steadfastness of the
police officers. According to Tankebe & Ariel (2016), the utilization of the body-worn camera
diminishes the savage collaborations between the subjects and the police officers. The recorded
video footage or evidence can be regarded as confirmation and on the basis of that degenerated
police officers can be effectively restrained or terminated. It likewise causes the police officers to
participate in the exploitation and blame additionally. The camera film settles the cases
effortlessly, in a judicious way and in time. The impacts could be genuine or negative as well.
The dissensions against the body-worn camera prepared police officers are more than objections
against the police officer not wearing the body-worn camera. The differences between the two
are minimal though.
Research Objectives:
 To determine the working policy of the police body-worn camera and officers’ behaviour,
USA

Effects of police body-worn camera and officers behavior 8
 To evaluate the effectiveness of the police body-worn camera and officers’ behaviour
 To analyse whether the efficacy of police body-worn camera has improved the officers’
behaviour in USA
 To recommend suitable effective strategies for the police body-worn camera to improve
the skill and operational capability of the USA police
Research Questions:
 What sort of working policy of the police body-worn camera and officers’ behaviour,
USA?
 What is the effectiveness of the police body-worn camera and officers’ behaviour?
 How can the efficacy of police body-worn camera has improved the officers’ behaviour
in USA?
 What suitable effective strategies for the police body-worn camera could require to
improve the skill and operational capability of the USA police?
Research Variables:
The dependent variable is the variable that an investigator is excited about. The
movements to the dependent variable are what the researcher is endeavouring to measure with all
their great frameworks (Mukherjee, 2017). An independent variable is a variable acknowledged
to impact the dependent variable. This is the variable that the investigator would control to look
at whether it rolls the dependent variable change or not. The dependent variable is police
officer’s behaviour and the independent variable is police-body worn camera.
H0: The body-worn cameras will maintain transparency regarding the conduct of police.
H1: The body-worn cameras will not be a smart pick as the cost of storage management
is high together with many organizational difficulties.

Effects of police body-worn camera and officers behavior 9
Research Challenges:
The various research challenges associated with the use of body-worn cameras are:
As per the view of Perkins (2017), the officers allocated to particular units may have
expanded workload related with body-worn cameras as far as downloading and labelling
recordings, charging the cameras, and archiving the videos in the composed reports.
There may be visit grumblings about the accessible mounting alternatives for the body-
worn cameras. The body mounting decisions are entangled too (Schneider, 2017). A few units
may locate the attractive mount for the body camera to be deficient, as the camera can be
knocked off effortlessly. The laws may not completely patch the frayed relations between law
implementation and some network individuals, and that some video films may have genuine
constraints. In the opinion of Young & Ready (2016), law authorization officers from around the
state have encountered challenges caused by camera situation, camera point lighting and
different confinements. The deployment and maintenance of the body-worn cameras will be very
high. The cost of video footage storage as well as the footage maintenance will take a toll on the
expenses. Adding to this, Tankebe & Ariel (2016) cited that it will bring in many organizational
difficulties too. A lot more expense will be required for the training too.
Confidentiality is a big aspect. The access to the video footages should be restricted for
the sake of confidentiality. However, it is a proven fact that maintaining the secrecy is a tough
job (Stoughton, 2017). The cameras also question the health and protection of the police officers.
Mukherjee, P. (2017). Detecting Foot-Chases from Police Body-Worn Video.
Siam Undergraduate Research Online, 10.

Effects of police body-worn camera and officers behavior 10
Literature Review:
This intension of this chapter is to accumulate the existing scholarly information
associated with the research topic. Moreover, this section is actually formulated to emphasize on
the theoretical underpinning linked with the research topic. Several theories and concepts related
to research topic will be the prime content of the research. This Chapter focuses on the received
empirical data that are engaged with the given research topic. The concerned topic is related to
the effects of policy body-worn camera and their behavior. Such a situation has been observed in
the United States as the departments of the police are facing trouble and crisis of confidence.
However, having a camera attached to the body of the police officers will provide them
confidence and make the work easy and hassle free. The camera will act as an evidence of the
large number of incidents they have to take care of. The purpose of the cameras is that it acts as a
recording process when the interactions of the civilians will help and act as the proof (Ready &
Young, 2015). Therefore, technology will facilitate cultural reform by increasing the officer
accountability and reducing the power of abuses in such situations. Hence, when both the
civilians and officers are aware of the camera being attached they are bound to behave ethically
and normally all the interactions and conversation gets recorded. The video therefore acts as the
footage, which will offer the factual evidence regarding what had occurred so that it gets easy to
defend and explain them and prevent from further abuse use of force. Another reason for
installing the cameras is that generally, police officers have been observed to show restraint in
heated circumstances for ignoring being accused of worse behavior.
On contrary to this, it can be stated that it is not always possible and feasible for the
police officers to wear the camera and carry out their activities and duties. Hence, in those
particular scenarios, the installation of the camera acts as a disadvantage (Ariel, Farrar &

Effects of police body-worn camera and officers behavior 11
Sutherland, 2015). The department of police had mentioned and specified as to when to use the
camera and not to (Jennings, Lynch & Fridell, 2015). Thus, it can be said that the cameras does
not always help the police officers in those situations. The cameras can make it difficult for them
to run around and do their job as police officers are required to provide necessary and fast
assistance. Hence, it is not necessary for the police officers to wear the camera positively every
time they go out for their duty. This is the major demerit of attaching the cameras in their body.
The local police officers does not get a chance to acquire the cameras for recording their
behavior and of other individuals. Lastly, it can be argued by stating that there are both positive
and negative effects of police body worn camera and their behavior accordingly. The following
step of the research is more crucial regarding this area.
Research Methodology:
This chapter will basically be focused on selection of appropriate research
methods for accumulating proper research information. Moreover, this section will select right
research design, research strategy, data collection method and data analysis method to reach at
particular research result. Implementation of right research method will highly contribute in the
excellence of the research result. Secondary research is done by analyzing and studying the
existing data available. By using secondary data collection method, more information and
knowledge can be found about the research.
Deductive approach
The method of deductive approach is used as this helps the researcher to study from the
theories and studies that are already existing. The researcher will look up all the data and
properly conducted the research.

Effects of police body-worn camera and officers behavior 12
Research Design
Explanatory, exploratory and descriptive are the three research designs that are used for
carrying out a research. In this case, the researcher has used descriptive research design.
Research Approach and Source of Data
The Research approach is regarded as an effective method of gathering the data.
The data of this research has been collected with the help of Secondary data. The Research
approach should therefore be chosen dependent on the kinds of the research variables. The
source of this data has been gathered from the journals and books that discuss the effects of
police body worn camera and their behavior. Without the help of the journals, it is not possible
for collect the data or information from any other sources. The secondary data thus saves the
time of filling survey forms and other theories. Extracting the information directly from these
books and journals will help in the procedure of the research. Effective choice of the source is
necessary for collecting the most useful data related to the research topic. For this research, since
the secondary form of data collection is used, it is quite helpful for collecting the in-depth
secondary information regarding to the research topic. Thus, such sources are said to have a
major contribution in enhancing the quality of the data. The journals and books provide direct
information for carrying out and researching on the topic of police behavior and police body
worn camera. Moreover, majority of the times, the secondary sources also includes magazines,
websites, e-books and other related methods.
Data collection
The Secondary data is majorly engaged with the in-depth information that is
descriptive in nature as related to the research topic. Hence, such kind of data is considered to be
useful while preparing the section of literature review. The purpose of the research is to collect