Monitoring Technology: The Impact of Body-Worn Cameras on Citizen-Police Interactions

Daniel AC Barbosa, Thiemo Fetzer, Caterina Soto-Vieira and Pedro CL Souza
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Daniel AC Barbosa: University of Oxford
Thiemo Fetzer: University of Warwick
Caterina Soto-Vieira: London School of Economics
Pedro CL Souza: Queen Mary University

The Warwick Economics Research Paper Series (TWERPS) from University of Warwick, Department of Economics

Abstract: We provide experimental evidence that using body-worn cameras (BWCs) for police monitoring improves police-citizen interactions. Dispatches with BWCs show a 61.2% decrease in police use of force and a 47.0% reduction in negative interactions, including handcuff use and arrests. The use of BWCs also improves the quality of officers’ record from the dispatches. The rate of incomplete reports dropped by 5.9%, which is accompanied by a 69% increase in the notification of domestic violence. We explore various mechanisms that explain why BWCs work and show that the results are consistent with the police changing their behavior in the presence of cameras. Our results stand in contrast with previous experimental literature which used coarser designs and indicated muted or null body-worn camera effects on use of force. Replicating those designs, our data also finds attenuated effects. Overall, our results show that the use of BWCs de-escalates conflicts.

Keywords: police; use of force; technology; field experiment JEL Codes: C93; D73; D74 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:wrk:warwec:1560

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