![]() We used a quasi-experimental design in which 50 officers were assigned to wear on-officer video cameras for one year and the other 50 officers did not. In our research in Mesa, Arizona, we examined how wearing a camera during police-citizen encounters influenced police behavior. While it is impossible to know what would have happened in Ferguson had the officer been wearing a camera, we do know how this technology affects police work. On the contrary, it is possible that on-officer video creates a polarizing effect on some controversies because people with strong convictions about what has transpired during a police shooting may use the “facts” that they see in the video footage to support their expectations about what occurred in the blind spots. The last myth is that because on-officer video evidence is “objective,” it will help reduce civil unrest and controversy. The device can be a physical reminder to crime victims that they are on camera at times when they are most vulnerable and in need of privacy. Though the cameras are small, they are not always unobtrusive because officers wear them on their head using a wrap-around headpiece. For example, in one situation an officer was trying to comfort a teenage girl who lived in an abusive home, but he found it difficult to show compassion and respect for her privacy with the camera rolling. In our field research on body cameras, there have been many times when cameras made matters worse for the officer. In short, police do a lot of social work, and cameras can make those kinds of interactions more difficult. The rest involve mediating disputes assisting people who are injured, mentally ill, and/or in crisis counseling disorderly youths and providing referrals to those who need assistance. Research consistently indicates that less than 20 percent of calls to the police are for felony crimes, and police use of force occurs in only 1 percent of police-citizen contacts. While cameras can be helpful in some situations, most police work does not involve serious crime. The second myth is that on-officer video cameras will be a silver bullet for improving the way police interact with citizens. What do you think-was our finding due to a difference in police behavior or selective awareness of the officer touching his firearm? found that when researchers matched stops involving black drivers with similarly situated white drivers (those stopped at the same time, place, etc.), officers were no more likely to disregard their training for white motorists. It is possible that police were more likely to disregard their training with white motorists, but a 2007 study by the Rand Corp. The police in this city did not wear on-officer video cameras. What was a subtlety of behavior for whites was not a minor detail for blacks. Essentially, white motorists may not have been paying as much attention to where the officer was placing his or her hands when approaching the vehicle. What’s surprising is not the disparity but that police training and policy in this city required all officers to approach vehicles during traffic stops with their hand on their service weapon. In contrast, only 11.5 percent of white motorists observed the officer touch his gun. ![]() One finding was surprising: When asked whether they observed the officer touch his gun when approaching the car, 50.9 percent of black motorists said yes. Or is it? For example, we’ve been working on a study surveying residents in a large West Coast city about their experiences with police officers during traffic stops. ![]() If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video must be worth at least a million. The first myth is that video evidence is completely objective and free of interpretation. If police departments around the country are going to adopt the technology, then both law enforcement and citizens need to know about potential downsides as well. We’re academics who have studied body cameras for years, and in our work we’ve identified three pervasive myths about the equipment. But many assumptions people make about body-worn cameras simply aren’t true.
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