A quantitative assessment of the effects of body-worn cameras
Most studies of body-worn cameras discuss their deterrent effect : the hope that using them will lead to changes in the behavior of those who are filmed, whether police officers or citizens. The city of Montreal recently conducted a pilot project to evaluate whether it was feasible and useful to make body-worn cameras standard equipment for all its patrol officers. This article assesses the quantitative impact of body-worn cameras on various indicators related to the quality of police-citizen interactions. Data from official statistics, surveys of citizens who received traffic tickets, and municipal court sessions were analyzed using difference-in-difference models to compare pre- and post- implementation results in control and experimental groups. Results suggest that body-worn cameras had little impact on police-citizens interactions, largely because the number of cases involved was very low and satisfaction levels were already high. Given this, it was unlikely that statistically significant relationships would be found, regardless of the method used.