Body cams might actually mean fewer arrests. Cops are starting to skip 'risky' calls just so they don't end up with a complicated video on their record.
Using data from Chicago, researchers found that about half of officers change their behavior to avoid oversight. Instead of just acting 'better,' they often choose not to act at all in complex situations to avoid creating a digital record that could be scrutinized.
Worker Behavior Under Optional Oversight: Theory and Evidence from Police Body-Worn Cameras
SSRN · 6470520
Police officers with body-worn cameras may activate to prove good conduct, but they may strategically fail to activate in risky situations that tend to lead them to violate department standards. We model this optional oversight setting and estimate it using Chicago data on activation during arrests. We find that roughly half of officers sometimes strategically fail to activate and respond to cameras by making fewer arrests as a way to avoid being recorded in risky situations. The mix of officers