Measuring the Effectiveness of Police Body Cameras

This study will use the survey method in order to measure officers’ perception of the effectiveness of body cameras in reducing tension in everyday situations in which police are at work. For the purpose of this study, tension is defined as a feeling in which insecurities, uneasiness, paranoia, anxiety, or other feeling of pressure is heightened (Ariel, Farrar & Sutherland, 2015). The body camera program recently adopted by the metropolitan police force is meant to encourage and promote accountability and verifiability while simultaneously helping to de-escalate situations through the knowledge of the fact that every engagement of an officer with a citizen is being recorded. This study aims to use the quantitative survey method in order to assess the extent to which officers find the body cameras to be effective in achieving the policy aims.

The survey will consist of a series of 5-10 questions that will be answered using a number scale of 1 to 5. This allows the responses to be measured using the Likert scale so that the data can be quantified and statistically analyzed (Creswell, 2013). The responses of the metropolitan officers surveyed will show a range in response from Strongly Disagree (1) to Strongly Agree (5). The statements used in the survey will include assertions such as: “Body cameras help officers to de-escalate situations,” and “Body cameras are an effective way to mitigate the risk of using undue force against citizens.” The responses of the officers will be tallied and analyzed using descriptive statistical analysis.

Since the effectiveness of any program or policy is inevitably impacted by the attitudes and beliefs of those implementing the program or policy, it is imperative that the attitudes and beliefs of police officers regarding the adoption and use of body cameras while on patrol be evaluated so as to determine whether, in the wake of the cameras’ trial usage by officers, attitudes express support for the program or a lack of support for the program. If it is found that the majority of officers do not express supportive attitudes of the body camera program, questions about why officers are not supportive of the program may need to be asked and addressed. If it is found that officers are supportive of the program, the program may be seen as one that has value and can be implemented for other departments as well (Gaub, Choate, Todak, Katz & White, 2016). Depending on how officers respond in the survey—whether their responses tend to agree with statements favoring the use of body cameras or whether their responses tend to disagree with statements favoring the use of body cameras—this study will help to show how effective the policy is perceived to be by those who are tasked with carrying it out.

Political and ethical issues that might be associated with the measure used in this study could be substantial. As body cameras are typically viewed by the public as a solution to undue force used by police against citizens, this study’s measure of officers’ perceptions could risk upsetting a delicate balance achieved by the local government in terms of how it seeks to pacify community complaints and watchdog groups concerned with issues like police civility, police brutality, and police accountability (Sousa, Miethe & Sakiyama, 2015). If cameras are perceived by the public as a protection, the question of how police view cameras may have a lasting impact on police-community relations. The political position of powerful persons in the community could come under fire, especially if public perceptions as noted in prior surveys do not correlate with police officers’ perceptions. Thus, this study’s evaluations methods could be viewed as controversial by some members of the political class.

Ethical issues, such as confidentiality, will have to be addressed as well, since many officers will want to be assured that their personal opinions are not reflected in a way that might bring harm to them. Confidentiality is a principle that is always important to observe whenever doing research using participants for data (Creswell, 2013). That principle will have to be observed in this study so as to guarantee to participants that their data will not be connected in any apparent way to their own person. This guarantee should help to alleviate any concerns that participants might have for contributing to the study.

In conclusion, survey method is an effective method for obtaining data from participants in a quantitative study, as responses can be quantified using the Likert scale, which places a numeric value on a pre-determined range of responses to statements that participants can either agree with or disagree with. The statements used in this survey will reflect the public opinion that body cameras are helpful in reducing tension between police and the community and can help to reduce undue force by police on citizens. What is to be measured in this study is the perception of the police themselves, as they are the ones who are tasked with executing the policy of wearing body cameras. The purpose of measuring police perceptions is that their attitudes and opinions can influence the trajectory of the program and may be viewed as important to whether the program is effectively carried out or if it is ended following its trial run by the metropolitan police department. The data measured and evaluated in this study could be helpful in understanding the effectiveness of the program from the police officers’ point of view.