WELCOME INNOVATION OR DISTRESSING IMPOSITION? THE EFFECTS OF BODY-WORN CAMERAS ON OFFICERS' ATTITUDES AND POLICING BEHAVIORS

Abstract

Since 2014, the use of the body-worn camera (BWC) has rapidly expanded within the law enforcement community. This proliferation is due to public demands for transparency and reforms resulting from controversial confrontations between police officers and citizens. To date, the majority of scholarly research on BWCs has focused on measuring their ability to reduce complaints and use-of-force instances. Very little research has focused on the effects BWCs have on officers’ attitudes and policing behaviors, which are at the core of how they do their jobs. The focus of this thesis is the correlation between BWCs and their effect on officers’ attitudes and policing behaviors. I employed a qualitative thematic analysis using research study data from across the country to ascertain how BWCs are affecting officers’ attitudes and potentially altering policing behaviors. I examine the potential for officers to engage in self-protective policing behaviors or de-policing and discuss strategies to mitigate those behaviors and improve BWC implementation. I present the process by which law enforcement transforms everyday citizens into police officers through training, and the development of the police officers’ worldview as the foundation of base officer attitudes and beliefs. The social identity and social exchange theories are used as frameworks to better understand how police officers’ attitudes change in response to their policing environments, organizations, and reforms.