The effects of body-worn cameras on police organisation and practice: a theory-based analysis

ABSTRACT

This study applies the technical/rational model of organisations to help explain the effects of body-worn cameras on police organisation and practice in a single police agency in the United States. Consistent with the technical/rational model, cameras had enhanced those people-processing and environment-changing features of the police organisation which had tangible goals and well understood means for their accomplishment. In comparison, body-worn cameras were less successful in changing supervision and training, which were not well developed technically. We posit that improvements in these people-changing aspects of police work will likely require public pressure for higher levels of police professionalism, rigorous evidence on how these cameras can make training and supervision more effective, and police agencies willing to experiment with their strategic implementation.

KEYWORDS:

• Body-worn cameras
• organisational change
• police technology

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 These are the latest nationally representative statistics currently available. In 2016, the Bureau of Justice Statistics conducted a Body-Worn Camera Survey Supplement to the Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics (LEMAS) Program but, as of this writing, the results are not yet available

2 We do not divulge the location of the agency and only report ranges for characteristics of the agency and its environment to mask its identity.

3 Of the six who declined, there was one commander, three detectives, and two patrol officers. We did not ask those who declined to participate why they chose to do so, although several offered a reason. These included being too busy, preferring to patrol alone, and safety concerns. This did not give us cause to suspect that they would have told us something markedly different from those who agreed to cooperate. Another patrol officer wished to participate in the study but was unable to do so due to medical leave.

4 Two officers declined ridealongs because they were uncomfortable with an observer in the car. The other two were concerned about in-car safety issues.