The Validity and Reliability of Body-Worn Camera Meta-Data and Its Utility for Understanding Policing

Police departments nationwide collect and store volumes of visual and audio data from body-worn cameras (BWCs). These meta-data have been underutilized by police and researchers. In this study, we explore whether BWC meta-data can provide more information on officer activity than what can be achieved from data in a department’s records management system (RMS) alone. The research examines the similarities and differences in officer activity by comparing BWC meta-data to RMS data. By merging the two datasets, we examine the concurrent validity of BWC meta-data and the reliability of incident type categorization for matched cases by comparing whether incidents were classified similarly in both datasets. Last, using both sources, we explore the mean time spent on incidents by officer assignment and incident type. Findings from this study suggest that BWC meta-data currently lack concurrent validity if used alone but are a valuable resource when supplementing RMS data.