03 Oct Police Body-Worn Cameras Drastically Reduce Complaints Against Police

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:
Barak Ariel, PhD
Jerry Lee Fellow in Experimental Criminology and Lecturer in Experimental Criminology
University of Cambridge
Alex Sutherland, D.Phil.
RAND Europe

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study?

Response: The very first randomised-controlled experiment on cameras in Rialto (California) was originally intended to ‘cut red tape’, but Rialto Police Department decided instead to look at whether wearing the cameras could help reduce complaints and police use-of-force. That study found that cameras did cut use-of-force and complaints, with the latter almost to zero in the 12 months of the experiment. Given that each complaint costs, millions of dollars in the US, there was a lot of interest following that study, and that research was seen as crucial in the widespread adoption of Body-Worn Cameras in the US and other countries.

Although Rialto is typical of a lot of mid-sized police forces in the US, it is just one location at one time – so the roll out that was taking place had a very weak evidence base. The same results might not be found in other locations and given that many police forces started to roll out cameras without evidence, there was a strong justification for replicating the study. This paper (and two others already published) report results from x10 RCTs that took place in the UK and US, with more than 2 million residents, over a period of a year.

MedicalResearch.com: What are the main findings?

Response: Body-Worn Cameras reduced complaints against police, in all the forces we have complaints data for in the study. In some cases, there was a 100% fall in complaints in the months following the start of the trial compared to the months beforehand, replicating the result in Rialto. This is one of the most substantial effects ever found in criminal justice research and one that has the potential to save police departments many millions of dollars on investigation into complaints, whilst at the same time improving police-community relations through more civil interactions. Saying this though, it is not only police officers who have to make sure they are safe while at work. Everyone should feel safe wherever they are, especially in your home. Just like police officers use cameras, it may be best for homeowners to at least look into something like inspection cameras – hereon.biz, just in case you are considering the idea of getting a camera installing within the home, in order to prevent any suspicious activities. And most importantly, it’ll keep you and your family safe.

The dramatic fall in complaints meant that in many cases it was not possible to compare the experimental conditions, but we are certain that effects are due to the cameras because the trials started in different locations at different times, meaning that there is little else that could have had this effect. The finding that complaints were reduced during no-treatment conditions as well suggests that there is a ‘contagious accountability’ effect.

MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?

Response: Body-Worn Cameras are able to reduce complaints against the police when implemented as in our study. This is an important caveat because in our study officers were required to verbally warn suspects that they were recording. Officers were also required to have cameras switched on either throughout their entire shift or (at least) before responding to a call for service.

The combination of having cameras on and the verbal reminder of being monitored are, we believe, the ‘active ingredients’ in this intervention. (As a comparison, compare how ineffective static CCTV cameras are on changing behaviour if people are not aware of them.) This idea of people changing their behaviour when they are aware they are being watched is supported by evidence from different disciplines, but this experiment brings the idea to the forefront of policing and uses it in a novel way on the frontline.
If police departments are planning on implementing body worn cameras we think that our research underlines the need for clear policies on activation and discretion on the use of cameras up front, with officers required to keep cameras on and warn citizens that they are recording.

MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?

Response: There is a lot we don’t yet know about the cameras’ effects and how this plays out on the ground. For example, who is the camera affecting more, the police officer or the suspect? Is the reduction attributed primarily to the professionalization of the officer, the ‘civilising effect’ of the camera on both officers as well as suspects, or primarily a reduction in frivolous complaints. We argue that more studies are still needed to unearth some of these unknowns, including other types of methodologies (e.g., cluster randomised trials)

Similarly, we don’t understand the full range of effects of the cameras. Our other papers from this project suggest that officer discretion is when to turn cameras on is associated with a higher rate of assaults against officers. We are also looking at the effects on use-of-force, which again seem to depend on officer discretion.

The research community is working hard on a whole range of wider issues that our research into cameras overlaps with in terms of public surveillance, privacy, police-community relationship.

MedicalResearch.com: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Response: Above all, this project marks a step forward in the scientification of policing, and evidence based policing more broadly.

The study illustrates a new way of ‘doing policing’, which parallels the medical world: “test first, apply later” (as opposed to a intuition-based policy making, which may have cost us billions of dollars over the years).

MedicalResearch.com: Thank you for your contribution to the MedicalResearch.com community.

Citation:

Barak Ariel, Alex Sutherland, Darren Henstock, Josh Young, Paul Drover, Jayne Sykes, Simon Megicks, and Ryan Henderson
“Contagious Accountability”: A Global Multisite Randomized Controlled Trial on the Effect of Police Body-Worn Cameras on Citizens’ Complaints Against the Police
Criminal Justice and Behavior 0093854816668218, first published on September 22, 2016 doi:10.1177/0093854816668218

Note: Content is Not intended as medical advice. Please consult your health care provider regarding your specific medical condition and questions.

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Last Updated on October 3, 2016 by Marie Benz MD FAAD