The RIDE study: Effects of body‐worn cameras on public perceptions of police interactions

Abstract

Research SummaryDuring a brief interaction with motorists (i.e., a sobriety check), this study manipulated officer use (and declaration) of a body‐worn camera (BWC) (present; absent) while documenting participant BWC recollection (correct; incorrect) to assess effects on motorists’ perceptions of the encounter and of police more generally. Results (N = 361) demonstrate that perceptions of procedural justice were more favourable in the BWC‐present condition when the entire sample was included in the analyses, but that this effect was not significant when focusing on the subset of the sample that correctly recollected BWC use (though the pattern of the effect was the same in both analyses).Policy ImplicationsIn combination with results from a handful of similar studies, this study's results suggest that BWCs may be a tool that can be leveraged to enhance public perceptions of encounters with police; however, more research is needed to substantiate this claim. In particular, the development of evidence‐based policy on this matter necessitates continued studies that address issues such as sample imbalances (e.g., gender and minority status), length of the interaction studied (i.e., experimental dosage), and controlling for officer behavior.