Researchers presented the first scientific evidence that body-worn cameras on cops help prevent excessive force. The findings come after President Obama recently promised to spend $75 million of federal funds on body-worn-video equipment for police officers.
The findings suggest when interactions between police and citizens are knowingly recorded it makes all parties in the situation more self-aware and less likely to exhibit aggressive or abusive behavior, the University of Cambridge reported. This means the camera acts as a "preventative treatment" for escalated police interactions. In Rialto, police use-of-force was found to be 2.5 times higher before the cameras were introduced.
"With [institutionalized] body-worn-camera use, an officer is obliged to issue a warning from the start that an encounter is being filmed, impacting the psyche of all involved by conveying a straightforward, pragmatic message: we are all being watched, videotaped and expected to follow the rules," said Barak Ariel, from the University of Cambridge's Institute of Criminology (IoC).
To make their findings the police looked at data from a 12-month period in which police from Rialto, California wore cameras in 2012. The researchers found during this time use-of-force by officers wearing cameras fell by 59 percent and reports against officers were decreased by a whopping 87 percent when compared to the previous year. The findings also showed every $1 spent on these body cameras saved about $4 in complaint litigation costs.
The researchers noted a great deal more research will need to be done before it will be recommended that police departments are "steamrolled" into using these cameras.
"Police subcultures of illegitimate force responses are likely to be affected by the cameras, because misconduct cannot go undetected -- an external set of [behavioral] norms is being applied and enforced through the cameras. Police-public encounters become more transparent and the curtain of silence that protects misconduct can more easily be unveiled, which makes misconduct less likely," Ariel said.
