Attitudinal Changes Toward Body-Worn Cameras: Perceptions of Cameras, Organizational Justice, and Procedural Justice Among Volunteer and Mandated Officers

Abstract

Little is known about officer perceptions of body-worn cameras (BWCs), and whether perceptions change following implementation within their agencies. BWC deployment varies, with some agencies mandating officers to wear BWCs and others using volunteers. Researchers have yet to assess attitudinal differences between volunteers and mandated officers. This study addresses these gaps using data from an evaluation of BWCs in the Phoenix Police Department to examine officer perceptions of the utility of BWCs, perceptions of organizational justice, and support for using procedural justice. We use inverse propensity weighted difference-in-difference models to examine changes in officer perceptions over time between randomly selected officers who were mandated to wear a BWC, BWC volunteers, officers who resisted BWCs, and control officers. We identified limited significant differences in perceptions of BWCs over time, though effect sizes suggest that BWC volunteers and mandated officers were more subdued in their expectations about BWCs at the posttest.

Police culture and officers' receptivity to body-worn cameras: a panel study

“…To the best of our knowledge, only three studies have utilized panel surveys to analyze change over time, though these studies do not fully exploit the potential for individual-level analysis, nor do they explicitly probe how BWC outlooks might be shaped by occupational attitudes (Huff et al, 2020;Wooditch et al, 2020). One study (Phillips et al, 2020), based on only pre-BWC survey data in two departments, analyzed how occupational attitudes may relate to BWC outlooks.…”

“Culture eats strategy for breakfast”: An in‐depth examination of police officer perceptions of body‐worn camera implementation and their relationship to policy, supervision, and training

“…In addition to learning about officers’ views on different BWC functions, another key reason for examining police officer attitudes is to gauge levels of buy‐in or support, an issue of particular concern to police leaders (Gaub et al., 2016; Lum et al., 2019; Todak & Gaub, 2019). Some have sought to develop this insight by examining the impact of police officers’ perceptions of fairness in a department's work environment (or organizational justice) on attitudes toward BWCs (Huff et al., 2020; Kyle & White, 2017; Lawshe et al., 2019; Tankebe & Ariel, 2016). However, in exploring officers’ openness to BWCs, less attention has been paid to two more specific and proximal aspects of technological acceptance and sustainability: how officers interpret the BWC implementation process, including the crucial element of creating a BWC policy (Cell, 2019; White et al., 2018, p. 23).…”

Perception or Reality: An Examination of Police Misconduct, Organizational Justice, and Promotion Opportunities in the NYPD

“…Furthermore, the literature has revealed numerous correlates of police misconduct. These include: race (D’Souza et al, 2019; Headley et al, 2021; Headley & Blount-Hill, 2021; Morrow & Shjarback, 2019; White & Kane, 2013; Wood et al, 2019; Wright, 2020), gender (Gaub, 2020; Schuck & Rabe-Hemp, 2016; Wood et al, 2019), age and tenure (Terrill & Ingram, 2016; Wood et al, 2019), occupational stress (Bishopp et al, 2020), media coverage (Chagnon et al, 2018; Graziano et al, 2010; Weitzer, 2015), past misconduct (Donner, 2019; Harris, 2016; Harris & Worden, 2014; Rozema & Schanzenbach, 2019; White & Kane, 2013; Wood et al, 2019), and officer attitudes (Fridell et al, 2020; Huff et al, 2020; Lawshe et al, 2019; Reynolds & Hicks, 2015). Appropriately, in light of recent events that have renewed the Black Lives Matter movement that began 8 years ago, racial disparities and police misconduct have been most studied in the past 5–7 years.…”