The core of this study is to evaluate the relationship between the widespread use of surveillance cameras (body-worn, in police stations and in citizen pre-trial detention facilities) and the potential reduction in the frequency of violent acts by law enforcement. Research shows that body-worn video cameras can be reliable evidence in court, and thus their use for real-world data collection proves to be appropriate (Coleman, 2020). The experiment should be conducted in complete agreement and approval with the leadership of the police department, as it can make a real difference in the working practices of law enforcement. To conduct the study, it is suggested that a sample of 40 police officers be randomly selected who will not be aware of the experiment but will be informed whether or not they are wearing a camera. In reality, each of the police officers would be wearing a CCTV camera that they would know nothing about, but twenty officers would be told that they were not wearing any cameras, and the other half would be told that they were wearing a body camera. So, the police officers, formed into two groups, perform their work tasks for three days, preventing crimes and catching suspects as usual. The data from the hidden video cameras (n = 40) are recorded for each sample participant; the videos are sorted according to whether the officer was aware or not. For these videos, sorted into groups, an experienced examiner measures the average number of incidents that could be considered aggression and violent behavior on the part of the police officer, which will calculate the average number of such episodes of behavior (over three days) for each of the forty participants. Since the participants were divided into groups and the variable was measured at the quantitative level, using a statistical test to evaluate the hypothesis would be relevant. In particular, a t-test of independent samples would have been excellent for measuring differences in the amount of violent behavior by police officers as a function of their awareness of the body camera.
Discussion of Implications
Police crime, negligence, and bias in the enforcement of law enforcement laws are essential problems for today’s progressive civil rights society. Finding a possible correlation between a police officer’s body camera and their attitudes toward violent behavior will provide insight into what steps should be taken to reduce beatings, inappropriate and excessive seizures, aggression, and violence. If the results do not show significant differences between the two groups, however, it suggests the need to look for other factors that may be influencing those police officers who turn to violent practices.
Reference
Coleman, R. J. (2020). Police body cameras: Go big or go home? Buffalo Law Review, 68(5), 1353-1392. Web.