Criminal Justice Faculty Publications and Presentations

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

11-30-2022

Abstract

The Justice in Policing Act of 2020 propose mandatory body cameras for all uniformed federal officers in the United State. Advocates of this policy insist the practice will enhance police accountability and has the potential to also reduce police misconduct. In the same vein, advocates of mandatory liability insurance for police officers argue the policy will likely deter police officers from engaging in misconduct. How effective these policies are in enhancing police accountability and reducing police misconduct remains debatable. T his paper examined the arguments for whether or not police body cameras have positively influenced police officers’ behavior based on an extensive literature analysis of the issue and some informal interviews with police officers. We make a case in this paper however, that body cameras alone will not deter police officers from engaging in misconduct. In line with the Rational Choice theories, police officers are more likely to restrain their actions if they know they will be held personally liable for their actions, and that is why we concur with the advocates of mandatory police liability insurance. Other provided arguments for the increase in police misconduct and that need to be addressed, include lapses in screening out psychologically unstable police applicants must be undertaken. Further contributing to police misconduct according to some critics is the unintended consequences of recent court pronouncements that seem to have watered down the exclusionary rule.

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Publication Title

Journal of Crime and Criminal Behavior

DOI

10.47509/JCCB.2022.v02i02.03

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