Having police officers wear little cameras seems to have no discernible impact on citizen complaints or officers' use of force, at least in the nation's capital.
That's the conclusion of a study performed as Washington, D.C., rolled out its huge camera program. The city has one of the largest forces in the country, with some 2,600 officers now wearing cameras on their collars or shirts.
"We found essentially that we could not detect any statistically significant effect of the body-worn cameras," says Anita Ravishankar, a researcher with the Metropolitan Police Department and a group in the city government called the Lab @ DC.
"I think we're surprised by the result. I think a lot of people were suggesting that the body-worn cameras would change behavior," says Chief of Police Peter Newsham. "There was no indication that the cameras changed behavior at all."
Perhaps, he says, that is because his officers "were doing the right thing in the first place."
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DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
4 comments:
Body cams are about keeping both sides honest when a complaint arises.
Fake research to try and get rid of the body cams.
Waste of money and I say that because at the end - the TAXPAYER PAYS. Oh, for those who don't understand that - WE are the TAXPAYERS!!!!!!!!!!
UGH!
Why does BLM want to get rid of body cameras now?
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