The Effect of Body-Worn Cameras on Police Use-of-Force
The Effect of Body-Worn Cameras on Police Use-of-Force Police Foundation Executive Fellow, Chief Tony Farrar, recently completed an extensive year long study to evaluate the effect of body-worn video cameras on police use-of-force. http://www.policefoundation.org/content/chief-tony-farrar This randomized controlled trail represents the first experimental evaluation of body-worn video cameras used in police patrol practices. Cameras were deployed to all patrol officers in th e Rialto (CA) Police Department. Every police patrol shift during the 12-month period was assigned to experimental or control conditions. Wearing cameras was associated with dramatic reductions in use-of-force and complaints against officers. The authors conclude: "The findings suggest more than a 50% reduction in the total number of incidents of use-of-force compared to control-conditions, and nearly ten times more citizens’ complaints in the 12-months prior to the experiment." We applaud Chief Farr