Heavy is the Cam: The Impact of State Body Camera Policies on Police Use-of-Force

Late Supreme Court Justice Brandeis wrote, "If the government becomes the lawbreaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy" (Olmstead v. United States, 277 U.S. 438 (1928)).The 4th Amendment protects people and their effects against unreasonable search and seizure and implies a right to privacy for all individuals.This crucial check on the government's power prevents people's liberties from being violated by law enforcement.When it comes down to enforcing the law, how can we make sure law enforcement isn't the one breaking the law?People have questioned the authority, role, and integrity of law enforcement officers in society, especially regarding concerns over police violence.To safeguard against this, police could be surveilled and monitored, such as how they observe and oversee the general public.With new technological developments, cameras to record an officer's interactions pose a potential solution.Body cameras are worn devices that can record video and/or audio footage while an officer is on duty.Roughly 93% of Americans support the use of police-worn cameras while only 66% of cops agree (Mercer, 2017).The issue of body cameras poses a unique dilemma for law enforcement, simultaneously benefiting them and interfering with their actions.On one hand, it could provide crucial evidence needed to charge and convict someone.On the other hand, it acts to surveil the officers themselves and check their conduct and behavior.The public has a strong interest in both upholding the law and holding officers accountable to prevent abuses of power.There is much debate around their efficacy and potential in preventing police abuse of power, particularly in their use of force or violence.Body cameras could record police actions and allow others to judge their behavior.Broadly, does the surveillance of police officers discourage police violence?Specifically, across the United States, how have state-level body camera policies impacted the police use-of-force rates from 2019-2023?In this paper, I will look at the impact of state policies on body cameras on use-of-force rates across the United States to see if body cameras prevent police violence.With this research, I hope to determine if body camera policies could prevent these use-of-force incidents and evaluate the effectiveness of state policy.This information could be important for lawmakers to use when drafting body camera legislation and is relevant to policing practices in possibly implementing body cameras.I found that the number of body camera policy areas in a given state did not have a substantial impact on the average proportion of departments reporting use-of-force.I will conclude this paper with the future implications and recommendations for research on body cameras, state policy, and use-of-force reports. Context and SignificanceIn 2013, the NYPD was one of the first large police departments to start using body cameras in light of a court ruling finding that stop-and-frisk policies in New York led to harassment and discrimination against racial minorities (Whitehurst, 2023).In 2021, the first federal agencies to use body cameras were the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Phoenix and Detroit Field Divisions, followed by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the U.S. Marshals Service (US DOJ, 2021).In California, SB 85 implemented a mandatory body camera pilot program for the California Highway Patrol to evaluate its effectiveness and police practices and has appropriated funds for departments for body cameras (NCSL, 2021).California also has additional laws