This systematic review examined the research on the effects of body worn cameras (BWCs) on police officers and citizen behavior.
This systematic review of the effect of body worn cameras (BWCs) on police officers and citizen behavior found that BWCs are one of the most rapidly diffusing and costly technologies recently adopted by police agencies. However, citizens’ and police leaders’ expectations about the impacts of this technology have not always been realized, thus raising questions as to whether the current use of BWCs brings expected benefits to agencies and their communities. It is unclear how or why BWCs reduce complaints against the police, and the existing research does not speak to whether police accountability or police–citizen relationships are strengthened by BWCs. For the many police agencies that have already purchased BWCs, researchers should continue testing for ways in which both police and citizens might gain benefits from the cameras’ continued use. These methods might include limiting the discretion that officers have with BWC use, using BWCs in training or for evidentiary purposes, or finding ways that BWCs can be used to strengthen police–citizen relationships. The objective of this Campbell systematic review was to synthesize the evaluation research on the impacts of BWCs on several officer and citizen behaviors, including officer use of force, citizen complaints against officers, arrest, assaults/resistance against officers, dispatched calls for service, officer self-initiated calls, pedestrian and traffic stops, and other behaviors. It seems that overall the expectations that BWCs might change officer or citizen behaviors (for better or worse) have not yet been consistently realized. Research has not addressed whether BWCs can increase police accountability or police–citizen relationships more generally. (Published Abstract Provided)