PHILIPPINE COLLEGE OF CRIMINOLOGY

Sales St., Sta. Cruz, Manila

GRADUATE SCHOOL
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN CRIMINOLGY

Comparative Criminal Justice system and process

Bod worn Cameras

Submitted to:
DR. DENNIS LAGUMEN
Professor

Submitted by:
DYLAN L. LIBERATO
Student
Introduction:

Body-worn cameras are widely used by state and local law

enforcement agencies in the United States. They are worn principally by

officers in the performance of duties that require open and direct contact

with the public. Despite their widespread and growing adoption, the

current evidence regarding the effectiveness of body-worn cameras is

mixed. Some studies suggest that body-worn cameras may offer benefits

while others show either no impact or possible negative effects. The

mixed results of these studies strongly imply that additional research is

needed. In particular, more studies employing randomized control

trials are needed.

In November 2018, the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) published a

report on the use of body-worn cameras by law enforcement agencies in

the United States in 2016.This report showed that:

 47% of general-purpose law enforcement agencies had acquired

body-worn cameras; for large police departments, that number is

80%.

 Among agencies that had acquired body-worn cameras, 60% of local

police departments and 49% of sheriffs' offices had fully deployed

their body-worn cameras.

 Overall, in agencies that had acquired body-worn cameras there were

29 body-worn cameras in service per 100 full time officers (expected

to increase to 50/100 by late 2017).

 About 86% of general-purpose law enforcement agencies that had

acquired body-worn cameras had a formal body-worn camera policy.

 Agencies not using body-worn cameras stated cost (hardware

acquisition, video storage, system maintenance) to be the primary

disincentive.

According to the BJS report, the main reasons (about 80% each) that

local police and sheriffs’ offices had acquired body-worn cameras were

to improve officer safety, increase evidence quality, reduce civilian

complaints, and reduce agency liability.

Research does not necessarily support the effectiveness of body-

worn cameras in achieving those desired outcomes. A comprehensive

review of 70 studies of body-worn cameras use found that the larger

body of research on body-worn cameras showed no consistent or no

statistically significant effects. This meta-analysis was rated by Crime

Solutions and resulted in a No Effects rating for the impact of body-

worn cameras on use of force, assaults on officers, officer-initiated calls

for service, arrests, traffic stops and tickets, and field interviews (i.e.,
stop and frisk). See Practice Profile: Body-Worn Cameras’ Effects on

Police Officer Behavior.

These mixed findings are further reflected in findings from evaluations

of seven body-worn camera programs that have met the stringent criteria

for inclusion in NIJ’s Crime Solutions. Across these evaluations,

researchers looked at a range of outcomes, including use of force, citizen

complaints, arrests, and assaults on officers.

The adoption and deployment of body worn cameras provides law

enforcement agencies with a number of key opportunities and potential

benefits that were previously unobtainable. Headline benefits include:

1. Increased public confidence in local and national policing

2. A reduction in the number of complaints and allegations made

against police officers

3. Reduced criminal justice costs due to an increase in early guilty

pleas

4. De-escalation of anti-social behaviors

5. A reduction in the number of assaults on police officers

6. Ability to deploy BWV in areas not covered by other forms of

CCTV

7. Officer skill enhancement through the review of performance at

incidents
 8. Reduction in officer time spent on paperwork

2. The Body-worn cameras is not a political gimmick & it provide

officers with a reliable and compact tool to systematically and

automatically record their field observations and encounters. They can

be used for documentation purposes, to include interactions with

victims, witnesses, and others during police-public encounters; arrests;

and critical incidents. These documents provide items for agencies to

consider when developing their own body-worn cameras programs.

REFERENCE:
https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/research-body-worn-cameras-and-law-
enforcement
https://www.theiacp.org/resources/policy-center-resource/body-worn-
cameras
https://www.wcctv.com/benefits-and-opportunities-for-police-using-
body-worn-cameras/