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In recent years police killings of unarmed African American men sparked public concern regarding police policy and use of force. The increase in police shootings of unarmed African American citizens has strained police relations with the African American community. The police shootings of Eric Garner and Michael Brown cast a negative spotlight and sparked a national debate concerning police accountability. As a result, law enforcement agencies across the country are exploring the body-camera technology and its use. While law enforcement’s use of video equipment is not a new phenomenon, examining body-worn cameras and its use requires additional research. With the increase of police use of force in the African American community, it has become necessary to investigate the role body-worn cameras play during police and citizen encounters. Studying body-worn cameras and their effect on how African Americans perceive the police may help police agencies understand how the African American community perceives police treatment. The study exercised a non-experimental, quantitative research design comprised of a survey instrument used to measure the data. The Qualtrics research platform administered the survey instrument to 124 African American adult participants ages 18 and older. The results of the data showed that there is a positive perception of body-worn cameras within the African American community. The research findings disclosed that African American citizens view police favorably when police body-worn cameras are present. Future research suggests incorporating a greater sample size, thereby strengthening the validity, and improving generalizability. Policy implications suggest that studying body-worn cameras may help police agencies understand the relationship between police officers who wear body-worn cameras and how members of the African American community perceive police treatment when the device is present.
Advisor: | Moran, Nathan |
Commitee: | Schneider, Jeffrey , Verrill, Stephen |
School: | Capella University |
Department: | School of Public Service Leadership |
School Location: | United States -- Minnesota |
Source: | DAI-A 82/4(E), Dissertation Abstracts International |
Source Type: | DISSERTATION |
Subjects: | Law enforcement, Public policy, Law, Public administration, Sociology, African American Studies |
Keywords: | Body-worn cameras, Procedural Justice Theory, Police performance, Police fairness, African American community, Police training |
Publication Number: | 28151961 |
ISBN: | 9798684695070 |