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Essay / Police Body Camera Case Study - 1282
If body cameras were required, many police officers would serve prison time for some of their actions. A large majority of the victims would not have been injured either. Following a study by the Rialto, California Police Department conducted from February 2012 to July 2013. A group of officers wore tiny video cameras while interacting with citizens. According to the New York Times, video cameras have led to a 60 percent drop in use of force and an 88 percent drop in complaints against police officers (Amalcar Scott, 2015, p.13). In another randomized controlled trial, “nearly 1,000 officer teams were randomized over a 12-month period to treatment and control conditions. During "treatment shifts", officers were required to wear and use body cameras when interacting with members of the public, while during "control shifts", officers were instructed not to carry or use these devices in any way. We observed the number of complaints, use of force incidents and the number of contacts between police officers and the public, in the years and months preceding the trial (to establish a baseline) and over the 12 months of the trial. experience” (Tabarrok,