Michael D. White &amp; Aili Malm (2020) Cops, Cameras, and Crisis: The Potential and the Perils of Police Body-Worn Cameras. New York: New York University Press

Schofield, Katherine Butler

doi:10.5204/lthj.1783

Cited by 8 publications

(13 citation statements)

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“…More broadly, these findings support the argument that BWCs may have a "civilizing effect". As noted earlier, prior research has argued that a "civilizing effect" in the behavior of officers and citizens may lead to reductions in civilian complaints (Ariel et al, 2015;Katz et al, 2015;White and Malm, 2020;Patterson and White, 2021;Yokum et al, 2017). Although the author could not disentangle the "civilizing effect", it is possible to hypothesize that the sustained reduction in complaints could result from improvements in the behavior of officers.…”

Section: Discussion Limitations and Conclusionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Some suggest that such reductions may result from improved interactions between officers and citizens or changes in reporting (Lum et al, 2020;Malm, 2019). Others suggest that BWCs have civilizing effects' through behavior changes from officers and citizens (Headley et al, 2017;Katz et al, 2015;White and Malm, 2020;Yokum et al, 2017).…”

Section: Mechanisms Of Reductions In Civilian Complaintsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…2. Authors have conducted studies where they have examined more broadly outcomes related to BWCs (see Lum et al, 2019;White and Malm, 2020;Gaub and White, 2020). Also, the Body-Worn Camera Training and Technical Assistance website at Arizona State University contains a list of experimental and non-experimental studies on BWCs and the outcomes studied.…”

Section: Bwcs Adoption and Civilian Complaintsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The effects of differential timing in the adoption of BWCs on civilian complaints

Alda

2023

PIJPSM

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PurposeThe study examined the effects of body-worn cameras (BWCs) on civilian complaints against police using a non-representative national sample of police organizations.Design/methodology/approachThe empirical approach employed a staggered difference in differences design (DiD) that exploited the variation in the timing of adoption of BWCs by police agencies from 2007 to 2016. The study considered two scenarios: (1) a model without any explanatory variables; and (2) a model with explanatory variables. Furthermore, in each model the author two different comparison groups: (1) agencies that never adopted this technology and (2) agencies that adopted BWCs at a later time.FindingsThe model without explanatory variables suggest strong and statistically significant reductions in complaints. The simple average estimates show reductions in civilian complaints between 13% and 14%, depending on the model. This is the equivalent of an average reduction of about 30 civilian complaints per capita. The dynamic effects suggested that the length of exposure to BWCs matters in reducing civilian complaints, showing a significant reduction of 47% in civilian complaints. The models with explanatory variables also show slightly lower declines in civilian complaints.Originality/valueThe surge in the adoption of BWCs by police agencies sparked a parallel surge of studies examining their effectiveness on various outcomes. Most research to date has use experimental designs on a single police agency or a small group of agencies. Few studies have employed a large sample of agencies or periods longer than six to 12 months. Evidence on the effects of BWCs on a range of outcomes from larger multi-agency studies and longer periods of analysis will support the already robust specialized literature and inform policymakers about the effectiveness of this technology over time.

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Section: Discussion Limitations and Conclusionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Mechanisms Of Reductions In Civilian Complaintsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Bwcs Adoption and Civilian Complaintsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The effects of differential timing in the adoption of BWCs on civilian complaints

Alda

2023

PIJPSM

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“…Body-worn cameras have diffused rapidly in American police departments because of their perceived benefits. Though much of the focus has centered on their potential to increase transparency and to reduce violence between police and citizens (Lum et al, 2019;White & Malm, 2020), advocates also argue that the technology has significant evidentiary value in court (McCluskey et al, 2019;Todak et al, 2018;White et al, 2018). Only a handful of studies have investigated this issue, however, resulting in calls for increased research examining the impact of cameras on downstream criminal case processing (Merola et al, 2016;White et al, 2018).…”

Section: Body-worn Camerasmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Influence of Defendant Race/Ethnicity and Police Body-Worn Cameras on Traffic Case Processing

2021

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The current study evaluates the impact of defendant race/ethnicity and police body-worn cameras (BWCs) on dismissals and guilty pleas in traffic violations. Despite the frequency of traffic violations and the potential for racial/ethnic bias in these incidents, researchers have yet to examine the outcomes of these violations in court. Research is also needed to assess the potential for BWCs to provide evidence and reduce charging disparities and differential pleas for minority defendants. Traffic violations processed in the Tempe, Arizona Municipal Court before and after BWC deployment were examined using logistic regression. Black and Hispanic defendants were less likely to have their violations dismissed than White defendants, regardless of the presence of a BWC. Hispanic defendants were significantly more likely to plead guilty to traffic violations than White defendants, and BWCs did not eliminate this disparity. BWCs did significantly reduce the likelihood of a guilty plea for Black and White defendants, but the finding was not robust to the inclusion of an interaction term between race and BWCs. BWCs did not significantly moderate the impact of defendant race/ethnicity on either dismissals or guilty pleas. Overall, the results suggest that BWCs have little impact on reducing racial/ethnic disparities in traffic violation processing.

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“…The ubiquitous rise of BWC technology has been well documented. Attached to visions of police accountability and enhanced police‐community relations, BWCs have diffused among law enforcement agencies at an idiosyncratic rate, despite mixed evidence regarding their efficacy and cost‐effectiveness (Lum et al, 2020; White & Malm, 2020; Williams et al, 2021). Even so, the growth of empirical research on BWCs has been substantial, with more than a tenfold increase in the number of studies examining the relationship between BWCs and police‐community outcomes between 2014 and 2019 alone (Lum et al, 2019; White, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The usage and utility of body‐worn camera footage in courts: A survey analysis of state prosecutors

Petersen

Papy

Mouro³

et al. 2023

J Empirical Legal Studies

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Despite substantial recent developments in body‐worn camera (BWC) research, little is known about the effect of BWC footage on downstream criminal justice actors and agencies. Analyzing both quantitative and qualitative survey responses taken from state prosecutors in Miami‐Dade County (FL) in 2019, this study provides one of the most detailed examinations of prosecutors' experiences with BWC footage to date. Using descriptive analyses, ordinary least squares regressions, and structural equation modeling, we examine how the operational challenges associated with BWC footage affect the degree to which prosecutors use the footage and perceive it to be useful. Our results suggest that poor footage quality and delayed video transfer may limit the utility of BWC footage—and in turn—that lower perceptions of utility may reduce the formal usage of BWC footage in court. These findings differ across case‐processing stages, however, with transfer delay affecting the utility of BWC video for charging decisions and footage quality affecting the utility of BWC video across multiple case processing stages. Implications and policy recommendations based on these results are discussed.

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Michael D. White & Aili Malm (2020) Cops, Cameras, and Crisis: The Potential and the Perils of Police Body-Worn Cameras. New York: New York University Press

Abstract: Katherine Schofield reviews Cops, Cameras, and Crisis: The Potential and the Perils of Police Body-Worn Cameras.

Cited by 8 publications

References 0 publications

The effects of differential timing in the adoption of BWCs on civilian complaints

The effects of differential timing in the adoption of BWCs on civilian complaints

The Influence of Defendant Race/Ethnicity and Police Body-Worn Cameras on Traffic Case Processing

The usage and utility of body‐worn camera footage in courts: A survey analysis of state prosecutors

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