fbpx
Body Cameras

Tag

Watching Video Evidence Before Providing a Use of Force Statement

(Editor’s note 3/28/2022: This article was edited to acknowledge the competing approaches to video review during use of force investigations, update citations, and clarify the IACP’s 2014 model policy language and position paper. Force Science recognizes that the memory-enhancing value of watching videos must be balanced against the risk of memory corruption and the need...
Read More

Body-Worn Cameras and Memory

Body-worn cameras can’t replace an officer’s perceptions, but they can be extraordinarily valuable when they confirm the presence of weapons, capture resistance, and verify de-escalation attempts. What’s more, it is expected that the presence of cameras encourages people on both sides of the lens to be the best version of themselves as they interact. But...
Read More

Magnitude and Duration: How Science Measures Use of Force from BodyCam Video

Editor’s Note: Knowing how hard an officer hit somebody with a baton and for how long can be critical questions in a use of force case. Join Dr. Geoffrey Desmoulin, a Certified Force Science Analyst and Principal of GTD Scientific Inc., as he describes how Force Science studies and GTD tactical baton research were applied...
Read More

Broad Pre-Statement Review Of Body Cam Footage Supported

The attorney general of Texas issued an opinion recently that an officer is legally entitled to see all footage from his body camera, as well as that from the cameras of other officers at the scene, before giving an official statement about an incident the officer was involved in. Police critics were quick to allege...
Read More

New BWC Study Confirms Positive Impact On Police Performance

Now comes another study of how body-worn cameras impact police performance, this one suggesting that the public is correct in its general belief that body cams decrease complaints of officer misconduct and use of force. More than 400 patrol officers and sergeants from the Las Vegas Metropolitan PD—predominately white males with 9-10 years on the...
Read More

New Study: Do Body Cams Lose Their Behavioral Effect Over Time?

You may recall the world’s first study of the effect of body-worn cameras on officers’ use of force and on citizens’ complaints against police. Conducted with the Rialto (CA) PD and published in 2014, this benchmark research showed that during a year that some officers were equipped with body cams, use-of-force incidents dropped about 50%...
Read More

Should Cops See Body Cam Video Before Giving Use Of Force Statements?

A recent webinar on the hot question of whether officers should be allowed to review body cam video before giving statements on use-of-force incidents features a spirited clash of opinions among two law enforcement lawyers and a forensics expert, but in the end offers agreement on two critical points: To avoid potentially damaging pitfalls, officers...
Read More

Body Cams Can Improve Report Accuracy, Another New Study Shows

A new study of how EMS personnel could use body-worn cameras to overcome memory errors when making reports has significant implications for law enforcement officers as well. While the research does not focus on policing, the findings suggest that officers should be routinely incorporating a review of BWC video in their documentation of notable events...
Read More

Could “Contagious Accountability” Save Your Agency $$$ On Body-Worn Cameras?

A new study of body-worn cameras suggests that even partially equipping a patrol force with BWCs could produce a precipitous overall drop in citizen complaints, while saving a department significant costs. Researchers found that once body cams were introduced on a limited basis in seven police agencies in the US and the United Kingdom, complaints...
Read More

Building Articulation While The Camera Rolls

When it comes to body cams and dash cams, don’t rely on the video alone to tell your side of the story. Your verbal narration as the action unfolds can be a critical component of what the device records, advises Dep. Chief William Mazur of the Atlantic City (NJ) PD. Mazur is an instructor with...
Read More
1 2