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Cited by 242Policing Practices and PerceptionsDeception detection and forensic psychologyCriminal Law and Evidence

Body-worn cameras’ effects on police officers and citizen behavior: A systematic review

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Lum, Cynthia, Koper, Christopher S., Wilson, David B., Stoltz, Megan, Goodier, Michael, Eggins, Elizabeth, Higginson, Angela, Mazerolle, Lorraine·2020·Campbell Systematic Reviews: Better Evidence for a Better World
DOI 10.1002/cl2.1112PMC PMC8356344
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Abstract

1.1 | Body-worn cameras (BWCs) do not have clear or consistent effects on most officer or citizen behaviors, but different practices need further evaluation Law enforcement agencies have rapidly adopted BWCs in the last decade with the hope that they might improve police conduct, accountability, and transparency, especially regarding use of force.Overall, there remains substantial uncertainty about whether BWCs can reduce officer use of force, but the variation in effects suggests there may be conditions in which BWC could be effective.BWCs also do not seem to affect other police and citizen behaviors in a consistent manner, including officers' selfinitiated activities or arrest behaviors, dispatched calls for service, or assaults and resistance against police officers.BWCs can reduce the number of citizen complaints against police officers, but it is unclear whether this finding signals an improvement in the quality of police-citizen interactions or a change in reporting.Research has not directly addressed whether BWCs can strengthen police accountability systems or police-citizen relationships.What is the aim of this review?This Campbell systematic summarizes the evidence from 30 studies of the effects of BWCs on several officer and citizen behaviors.The majority of studies are from the United States. | What is this review about?The last decade has been marked by the rapid adoption of BWCs by the police and a growing body of evaluation research on the technology's effects.Spurred on by high-profile officer-involved shooting incidents and protests, many citizens and community groups have supported the adoption of BWCs, hoping that this technology will deter police misconduct, better capture use-of-force events, and increase police accountability and transparency.At the same time, some police officers and community members have expressed concerns that BWCs might discourage citizens from reporting crimes or cause officers to pull back on preventative or proactive activities that may help prevent offending.This Campbell

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  • Existing program evaluation evidence on BWC impact on police officer work behaviors is largely mixed, with some indication that BWC presence may improve civility of police-citizen encounters.

    “The existing program evaluation evidence on the impact of BWCs on police officer work behaviors is largely mixed with some indication that the presence of the technology may improve the civility of police-citizen encounters (Lum et al., 2020;Williams et al., 2021).”

    From Police reform in public housing contexts: Body‐worn cameras, surveillance, and harm reduction in New York City Housing Authority Developments (2024) · cites this paper as Lum et al., 2020

    The Discussion’s Summary of the results reports mixed positive, negative, and null findings across officer behaviors, supporting the first part of the claim. It also reports fewer complaints against officers wearing BWCs, which could suggest more civil encounters, but explicitly says it is unclear whether the reduction reflects better interactions or less willingness to file complaints. The review therefore does not establish improved civility. (LLM, conf=0.83)

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  • The available evaluation literature suggests that BWCs do seem to reduce civilian complaints against officers.

    “The available evaluation literature appraising officers working in more general street assignments suggests that BWCs do seem to reduce civilian complaints against officers (Lum et al., 2020)”

    From Police reform in public housing contexts: Body‐worn cameras, surveillance, and harm reduction in New York City Housing Authority Developments (2024) · cites this paper as Lum et al., 2020

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Cited by

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Authors
Lum, C., Koper, C. S., Wilson, D. B., Stoltz, M., Goodier, M., Eggins, E., Higginson, A., & Mazerolle, L.
Affiliations
  • George Mason University (US)
  • The University of Queensland (AU)
  • Queensland University of Technology (AU)
Corresponding author
Lum, Cynthia
ORCID
Venue
Campbell Systematic Reviews: Better Evidence for a Better World
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Published
2020-09
Volume
16
Issue
3
Pages
e1112-e1112
ISSN
1891-1803 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1002/cl2.1112
PMC
PMC8356344
OpenAlex
W2973902016
Cited by
242
References
8
Citations by year
2026: 33 · 2025: 29 · 2024: 41 · 2023: 39 · 2022: 67 · 2021: 29 · 2020: 4
FWCI
35.39
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Campbell Systematic Reviews (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • QUT ePrints (Queensland University of Technology) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • Griffith Research Online (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
The Laura and John Arnold Foundation
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Policing Practices and Perceptions
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Deception detection and forensic psychology
  • Social Sciences › Law › Criminal Law and Evidence
Keywords
body-worn cameras, police accountability, police use of force, police-citizen interaction, citizen complaints against police, police misconduct, police transparency

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