Measuring the Effectiveness of Police Body Cameras Essay

Define the Concept and Create Measures

This study will use the survey method in order to measure officers’ perception of the effectiveness of body cameras in reducing tension in everyday situations in which police are at work. For the purpose of this study, tension is defined as a feeling in which insecurities, uneasiness, paranoia, anxiety, or other feeling of pressure is heightened (Ariel, Farrar & Sutherland, 2015). The body camera program recently adopted by the metropolitan police force is meant to encourage and promote accountability and verifiability while simultaneously helping to de-escalate situations through the knowledge of the fact that every engagement of an officer with a citizen is being recorded. This study aims to use the quantitative survey method in order to assess the extent to which officers find the body cameras to be effective in achieving the policy aims.



The survey will consist of a series of 5-10 questions that will be answered using a number scale of 1 to 5. This allows the responses to be measured using the Likert scale so that the data can be quantified and statistically analyzed (Creswell, 2013). The responses of the metropolitan officers surveyed will show a range in response from Strongly Disagree (1) to Strongly Agree (5). The statements used in the survey will include assertions such as: “Body cameras help officers to de-escalate situations,” and “Body cameras are an effective way to mitigate the risk of using undue force against citizens.” The responses of the officers will be tallied and analyzed using descriptive statistical analysis.



Since the effectiveness of any program or policy is inevitably impacted by the attitudes and beliefs of those implementing the program or policy, it is imperative that the attitudes and beliefs of police officers regarding the adoption and use of body cameras while on patrol be evaluated so as to determine whether, in the wake of the cameras’ trial usage by officers, attitudes express support for the program or a lack of support for the program. If it is found that the majority of officers do not express supportive attitudes of the body camera program, questions about why officers are not supportive of the program may need to be asked and addressed. If it is found that officers are supportive of the program, the program may be seen as one that has value and can be implemented for other departments as well (Gaub, Choate, Todak, Katz & White, 2016). Depending on how officers respond in the survey—whether their responses tend to agree with statements favoring the use of body cameras or whether their responses tend to disagree with statements favoring the use of body cameras—this study will…