What Happens Downstream?: Perceptions of Body-Worn Cameras Among External Stakeholders
Natalie Todak, Janne Gaub & Michael White
Due to the proliferation of police officer body-worn cameras (BWCs) nationwide, researchers have been called upon to investigate the impact and consequences of the technology. Most research has focused on the implications of BWCs for police officers and the citizens with whom they come into contact. Yet, it is well-understood that police are the “gatekeepers” of the criminal justice system, and the decisions made by police have significant implications for numerous other stakeholders. As such, the effects of BWCs on downstream criminal justice actors and other community stakeholders are not well understood. Accordingly, the current study explores 1) the perceptions of BWCs among stakeholders impacted by the police decision to implement the technology, and 2) the ways in which BWCs influence the jobs of those outside of the police department. To carry out this inquiry, we conducted qualitative interviews and focus groups with a wide range of stakeholders (N=38) in Tempe (AZ) and Spokane (WA). These stakeholders include criminal justice professionals such as judges and attorneys (both city and county); related professionals who interact often with police and may be recorded during police-citizen encounters, such as fire and rescue, city security, and public transit security; and community members and stakeholders such as victim advocates, school board representatives, city council members, and citizen review (ombudsman commission) board members. We review common themes among the various stakeholders on a range of key issues, and we discuss the implications for integrating body-worn cameras into the larger criminal justice landscape.
Symposium Presentation
The Impact of Citizen-Generated Video in Police Misconduct Investigations
Hanna Karsevar & Conner Maher
In recent years, video footage has captured a range of police interactions with members of the public. For a civilian oversight agency like the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB), video is a crucial source of evidence and an important component in the examination of police misconduct. In addition to the video evidence that CCRB investigators routinely obtain from public and private surveillance cameras, a growing amount of the video evidence received by the CCRB is provided by civilian witnesses to alleged police misconduct and, in many cases, by complainants themselves. Civilians have used phones, cameras, tablets, and other devices to record police encounters and these videos provide more definitive accounts of incidents under investigation than witness testimony alone. However, as civilians increase their recording of law enforcement officers, complaints of officer interference with civilian recordings are also on the rise. These complaints are of great concern to the CCRB because such police interference, when it occurs, not only violates core constitutional rights, but it also diminishes an important tool used to investigate police misconduct.