Assessing the Impact of Police Body-Worn Cameras on Arresting, Prosecuting, and Convicting Suspects of Intimate Partner Violence

• NCJ Number: 250791
• Journal: Police Quarterly Volume: 19 Issue: 3 Dated: September 2016 Pages: 303-325
• Author(s): W. J. Morrow; C. M. Katz; D. E. Choate
• Date Published: September 2016
• Length: 22 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2011-DB-BX-0018
• Sponsoring Agency: Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA)
• Publication Format: Article; Document (Online)
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical); Report (Study/Research); Report (Grant Sponsored)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined the effect on a number of outcomes related to the arrest, prosecution, and conviction in cases of intimate partner violence (IPV) both before and after officer use of body-worn cameras (BWCs).

Abstract

The perceived benefits that generally accompany officers' use of BWCs include the ability to increase transparency and police legitimacy, improve behavior among both police officers and citizens, and reduce citizen complaints and police use of force. Less established in the literature, however, is the value of BWCs to aid in the arrest, prosecution, and conviction of IPV offenders. The current study found that compared with posttest non-camera cases, posttest camera cases were more likely to result in an arrest, have charges filed, have cases furthered, result in a guilty plea, and result in a guilty verdict at trial. These results have several implications for policing, prosecuting, and convicting in IPV cases. 56 references (Publisher abstract modified)