“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

Abstract

Research Summary This study uses interviews with 23 police officers from a small police department to conduct an in‐depth examination of their perceptions of three critical but understudied areas related to body‐worn camera programs: the implementation and policy‐making process, supervision, and training. The focus is on understanding the factors which contribute to, or undermine, body‐worn camera integration and acceptance. Policy Implications Including patrol officers directly in the implementation and policy‐making processes might help increase officer acceptance of body‐worn cameras (BWCs), and the identification of potential implementation problems (especially around BWC activation, civilian notification, and minor violations of department policies). Moreover, police departments may need to anticipate resistance from features of the traditional police culture toward certain BWC uses and consider how these might be overcome. One suggestion is to conduct regular reviews of BWC footage with officers as a learning tool to help guide discretion on BWC use (especially around recording protocols), to help reframe BWCs as an innovative technology for improving street‐level performance, and to provide routine reminders to officers of the importance of BWC activation and civilian notification for achieving their potential benefits.

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

“…Findings are less congruous regarding officers' perceptions of BWC impacts on police-community relationships: the majority of studies reported predominantly optimistic views (Gaub et al, 2020), though other studies have found skepticism, including concerns that the footage might paint "too rough" a picture to the public or be perceived as a breach of citizen privacy (Fallik et al, 2018;Wooditch et al, 2020;Miller et al, 2014). One primary concern of officers in many departments is the apprehension that recorded video would be used to "Monday morning quarterback" their job performance, or else be "fished" by supervisors to discipline them (Smykla et al, 2016;Adams and Mastracci, 2019;Newell and Greidanus, 2017;Owens and Finn, 2018;Snyder et al, 2019;Willis, 2022). Some evidence suggests that as officers become more familiar and experienced with the technology, attitudes towards BWCs may improve (Todak and Gaub, 2019;Clare et al, 2019), especially regarding fears about supervisory "fishing" or media manipulation (Snyder et al, 2019).…”

“…Though there is little research on the subject, officers' attitudes towards BWC are likely to vary with their organizational and community context and might be appreciably shaped by differences in organizational, managerial, and supervisory approaches to BWC implementation. There is some evidence to suggest that the manner in which a BWC policy is introduced impacts BWC receptivity among officers (Kyle and White, 2017;Willis, 2022), and that the manner in which the technology is assigned will evoke a range of reactions (Ready and Young, 2015;Hedburg et al, 2016;Huff et al, 2020). Some research found that officers who perceived their department to be more organizationally just were more receptive to BWC implementation, illustrating the importance of acquiring officer feedback and buy-in prior to deployment (Kyle and White, 2017;Willis, 2022).…”

Police Concerns Over Body-Worn Cameras—the Legitimator, the Nihilist, and the Agnostic: A Herald From Cyprus

“…Likewise, Cypol must take into account the corresponding themes addressed in the article and undertake action to educate officers (especially front-line nihilists) on the circumstances in which BWCs are to be used, the rules of engagement, as well as the intention behind introducing such a measure. These steps will likely minimize the expected police resistance of suitably using BWCs (Willis, 2022). Equally, Cypol must put all the enthusiasm expressed by police officers concerning BWCs toward a productive direction.…”

Governing Police Discretion Through a Craft Learning Model

“…Unfortunately, research suggests that BWCs have been harnessed tightly to the features of the legalist or administrative model, namely to try and strengthen compliance with bureaucratic rules, to resolve citizen complaints, and to identify and punish police misconduct Koen & Mathna, 2019;Lum et al, 2020;Willis, 2022). In comparison, police have shown less interest in exploring the potential of BWC technology as a more constructive learning tool for capturing and improving craft knowledge and skills (Willis & Mastrofski, 2017).…”

“…This is centred on first-line supervisors using body-worn cameras (BWCs) to apply craft-based performance standards derived from patrol officers' experiences to a learning process of reflection-in-action. Here we build on this earlier work and structure this article as follows: first, we seek to advance a conceptual understanding of this model by situating its key elements in relation to Egon Bittner's observations on two distinct mechanisms of police organization and control: legality and workmanship; second, we illustrate the largely overlooked potential of BWCs for advancing craft knowledge and skills by drawing on more recent in-depth, case studies we have conducted on the use of BWCs in three U.S. police departments (Koen et al, , 2021Willis, 2022); 1 and third, we address three challenges to what we propose and consider how these might be mitigated or overcome: (1) resistance from the police culture; (2) the limited role of first-line supervisors; and (3) the current lack of community participation in guiding decision-making on the front lines. Although our focus is on policing in the United States, the themes we address on discretion and its regulation are applicable to police organization, practice and reform more generally.…”