A 2013 report on a year-long field experiment using body-worn cameras on Rialto, Calif., police officers found that “with the level of certainty of apprehension for professional misconduct set at 100%,” use of force incidents dropped by more than 50 percent. And compared to the previous year, use-of-force complaints dropped 10 fold, from 28 to 3, with only one made against a camera-wearing officer.
The cameras used in the study were manufactured by TASER Inc., just like the 50 units Pittsburgh Bureau of Police purchased two years ago.
Those units were actually deployed with bicycle and motorcycle officers, until the bureau was notified it was in violation of state wiretap laws, which only permitted police cruisers-mounted video capability. Governor Tom Corbett signed legislation two weeks ago amending the law to include an exemption for law enforcement recording.
The bureau completed its final policy draft for using the cameras at the end of July. It is now being reviewed by the city legal department.
Still there is no guarantee officer-worn cameras will either help vindicate officers involved in violent encounters with the public or disclose their misconduct because officers can simply not turn them on.
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