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ABSTRACT
The current study provides a statistically rigorous program evaluation of the impact of police body-worn cameras (BWCs) on police response-to-resistance (e.g., use of force). Results indicate that BWC officers’ mean frequency of response-to-resistance decreased by 8.4% from the 12 months pre-BWC implementation to the 12 months post-BWC implementation compared with a 3.4% increase observed for the matched sample of non-BWC officers. Police departments should consider adopting BWCs alongside other strategies to reduce police response-to-resistance, and to improve transparency and accountability. Study limitations and directions for future research are also discussed.
Acknowledgments
We thank the Tampa Police Department (TPD), the TPD Administration, and the TPD officers for their support of this program evaluation. Our views are solely our own and do not necessarily represent or reflect those of TPD, the TPD Administration, or the TPD officers.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Wesley G. Jennings
WESLEY G. JENNINGS, Ph.D., is Associate Professor, Associate Chair, and Undergraduate Director in the Department of Criminology, has a Courtesy Appointment in the Department of Mental Health Law and Policy, and is a Faculty Affiliate of the Florida Mental Health Institute in the College of Behavioral and Community Sciences at the University of South Florida. In addition, he also has a Courtesy Appointment in the Department of Health Outcomes & Policy and is a Faculty Affiliate of the Institute for Child Health Policy in the College of Medicine at the University of Florida.
Lorie A. Fridell
LORIE A. FRIDELL is an Associate Professor in the Department of Criminology at the University of South Florida (USF). Prior to joining USF in August of 2005, she served for six years as the Director of Research at the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) in Washington, D.C. Dr. Fridell has over 20 years of experience conducting research on law enforcement. Her primary research areas are police use of force and violence against police. She has authored, co-authored, or edited books entitled: Police Use of Force: Official Reports, Citizen Complaints and Legal Consequences; Police Vehicles and Firearms: Instruments of Deadly Force; Chief Concerns: Exploring the Challenges of Police Use of Force; and Community Policing: Past, Present and Future. Recent articles and chapters on these and other research topics include “Use-of-Force Policy, Policy Enforcement and Training,” “The Impact of Agency Context, Policies and Practices on Violence against Police,” “Deadly Force Policy and Practice: The Forces of Change,” and “Attracting Females and Racial/Ethnic Minorities to Law Enforcement.”
Mathew Lynch
MATHEW LYNCH is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Criminology at the University of South Florida, who is currently a Research Associate II at the Urban Institute.
Katelyn K. Jetelina
KATELYN K. JETELINA, M.P.H., is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Epidemiology, Human Genetics, and Environmental Sciences at the University of Texas School of Public Health, Dallas Regional Campus.
Jennifer M. Reingle Gonzalez
JENNIFER M. REINGLE GONZALEZ, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology, Human Genetics, and Environmental Sciences at the University of Texas School of Public Health, Dallas Regional Campus.