Date of Conferral

2021

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Public Policy and Administration

Advisor

Gregory Koehl

Abstract

A need for understanding the perceptions of Police-Worn-Body-Cameras (PWBC) is important in society to help create a safer environment for everyone in the community. With all the recent controversy over officers and higher levels of tensions in certain communities between the police and public, this research examined how citizens perceived the use of PWBC and examined how the police officers who utilized PWBCs viewed them. The obvious benefit of PWBC is that it provides a higher level of accountability for police officers. There are other factors to consider with PWBCs. This research study involved the analysis of an existing data set. A law enforcement agency in the Midwest United States conducted the interviews. This agency recently deployed PWBCs and had not done any research on its impact. Citizens and police officers participated in the interviews. The two research questions that this research addressed were how police officers perceive the use of police-worn-body cameras And, how citizens perceive the use of police-worn-body cameras. This study’s two theoretical frameworks were Procedural Justice Theory (PJT) to inform the citizens’ perceptions and Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to inform the police officers’ perceptions. Three themes emerged for the community: Good Tool, Accurate Account, and Protection. Two themes emerged for the officers: Good Tool and Accurate Account. Recommendations for policy implications and future research are included as well. These findings may be used to promote positive social change by police administrators to better serve both officers and the public.

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