Use Body-Worn Cameras and Conduct Research on Disparate Impact of Their Use and Outcomes

The use of body-worn cameras is needed to promote accountability, increase transparency, and improve police-community interactions, particularly in impoverished and minority communities and neighborhoods. Body-worn cameras should be used by officers in every law enforcement agency. Rigorous, peer-reviewed studies must be conducted to examine the impact of body-worn cameras on traffic stops, arrests, use of force, complaints against officers, policies concerning officer discretion (when recording is mandatory vs. voluntary), officer pro-activity, training, and community’s perceptions of law enforcement agency transparency, particularly with respect to racially disparate treatment and outcomes.