ABSTRACT

Public opinion surveys have clearly demonstrated broad support for the use of body-worn cameras (BWC’s) in law enforcement. Despite clear evidence of broad support, the factors that contribute to this support remain unclear. The current study uses data from a public opinion survey of policing in a mid-sized urban city to examine factors significantly related to public support for requiring police officers to wear cameras. Ordinal logistical regression analyses of the impacts of demographic and neighborhood factors, beliefs about whom BWC’s protect, good and bad experiences with police, and trust in the police on support for the cameras suggest that awareness of bad experiences with the police increases support for BWC’s, while believing that the cameras protect the police decreases support. These findings can inform discussions between communities and police agencies about the role of body-worn cameras in policing, particularly as they relate to the broader issues underlying the need for surveillance technologies in the first place.

摘要

民意调查清楚地表明，广泛支持在执法中使用随身摄像机 (BWC)。尽管有广泛支持的明确证据，但促成这种支持的因素仍不清楚。目前的研究使用来自中型城市警务民意调查的数据来研究与公众支持要求警察佩戴摄像头的因素显着相关的因素。对人口统计和邻里因素、BWC 保护对象的信念、与警察的好坏经历以及对警察支持摄像机的信任的影响的有序逻辑回归分析表明，对警察糟糕经历的认识增加了对 BWC 的支持，相信摄像机可以保护警察的同时减少了支持。