Assessing the effects of body‐worn cameras on procedural justice in the Los Angeles Police Department*

• Author: John D. McCluskey,Lauren Revier,Christine Connor,Craig D. Uchida,Alese Wooditch,Shellie E. Solomon
• Published date: 01 May 2019
• Date: 01 May 2019
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/1745-9125.12201

Received: 1 November2017 Revised: 9 October 2018 Accepted: 26 October 2018

DOI: 10.1111/1745-9125.12201

ARTICLE

Assessing the effects of body-worn cameras on

procedural justice in the Los Angeles Police

Department*

John D. McCluskey1Craig D. Uchida2Shellie E. Solomon2

Alese Wooditch3Christine Connor2Lauren Revier2

1Department of Criminal Justice, Rochester Institute of Technology

2Justice & Security Strategies, Inc.

3Department of Criminal Justice, Temple University

Correspondence

JohnD. McCluskey, Department of Criminal

Justice,Rochester Institute of Technology,93

LombMemor ial Drive, GeorgeEastman Hall,

Room2180, Rochester, NY 14623.

Email:John.McCluskey@rit.edu

Fundinginformation

NationalInstitute of Justice, Grant/Award

Number:2014-R2-CX-0101

∗Additionalsupporting information

canbe found in the listing for this arti-

clein t he WileyOnline Library at

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/

crim.2019.57.issue-2/issuetoc.

Abstract

In this article, we explore variations in procedural jus-

tice delivered in face-to-face encounters with citizens

before and after the implementation of body-worn cameras

(BWCs). We draw on recent advances in the measurement

of procedural justice using systematic social observation of

police in field settings in the Los Angeles Police Depart-

ment. Data collected on 555 police–citizen encounters are

examined in bivariate and multivariate models exploring

the primary hypothesis that BWCs affect procedural justice

delivered by police directly and indirectly. Our results indi-

cate that significant increases in procedural justice during

police–citizen encounters were directly attributable to the

effect of BWCson police behavior as well as to the indirect

We wouldlike to thank our primar y editor,Dr. Brian Johnson, and anonymous reviewers for Criminology who provided helpful

comments, suggestions, and advice that improvedthe final manuscr ipt. There are manypeople who played important roles in the

research that was undertaken, and we thank them for assistingus. Special t hanks go to the NationalInstitute of Justice’s Director

Nancy Rodriguez and Senior Computer Scientist Joel Hunt. Within the Los Angeles Police Department, we are grateful to

Chief Charlie Beck; Deputy Chief Sean Malinowski;CIO Maggie Goodr ich;Lt. Daniel Gomez; Commanders Jorge Rodriguez,

Todd Chamberlain, and Robert Marino; and Captain Mike Rimkunas for their unwaveringsuppor t in allowingus to r ide with

and observe officers. Last, but not least, we thank the patrol officers and supervisors of the Newton and Mission divisions for

accepting us into their lives (howeverbr iefly)to r ide with them and begin to understand their work. This projectwas supported

by Award2014-R2-CX-0101 by the National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice to the

Los Angeles Police Foundation. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this article are those

of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Department of Justice, the Los Angeles Police Department, or the

Los Angeles Police Foundation.

208 © 2019 American Society of Criminology wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/crim Criminology.2019;57:208–236.

MCCLUSKEY ET AL.209

effects on citizen disrespect and other variables. The impli-

cations for policy include explicit measurement and moni-

toring of procedural justice or elements such as officer dis-

courtesy in departments adopting BWCs. Further research

questions such as more detailed examination of citizens’

behavior changes under BWCs are also considered in the

context of the findings.

KEYWORDS

body-worn cameras, procedural justice, systematic social observation

Understanding variations in procedural justice in face-to-face encounters between police and citizens

has taken on added significance in light of officer-involved shootings and as a focus of the President’s

Taskforce on 21st Century Policing (2015) recommendations (e.g., Worden & McLean, 2017). The

widespread adoption of body-worn cameras (BWCs) has been an additional response to a crisis

of legitimacy in contemporary policing with sparse information on its impact on everyday police

encounters (Lum, 2015; Lum, Koper, Merola, Schere, & Reioux, 2015; Miller, 2016). As yet, little

research has been aimed at examining the effects of BWCs on how police service is delivered beyond

examinations of complaints and use-of-force outcomes captured in organizational records (e.g., Ariel,

Farrar, & Sutherland, 2015). Recent results from surveys of citizens, however, indicate that perceived

procedural justice is a more powerful influence on citizen satisfaction than is the presence of cameras

alone mainly because citizens are poor reporters of whether cameras were used (McClure et al., 2017).

Thus, a key question is, net of other variables, do BWCs contribute to positive changes in procedural

justice and its constituent elements delivered by officers? Weaddress that gap by exploring procedural

justice as delivered by police officers in two divisions of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD)

before and after the implementation of BWCs using systematic social observation (SSO) data.

To accomplish this aim, we first frame procedural justice research and key elements from that

theoretical reference point as police behavior amenable to theoretical explanation. Second, we

consider the effects of BWCs and major theoretical domains expected to impact procedural justice

in police–citizen encounters and develop key hypotheses for testing. Third, we outline the research

setting in LAPD, the motivation for the use of SSO methodology, sampling, and the overall data

collection effort undertaken. Fourth, we test hypotheses using bivariate and multivariate models.

Finally, we discuss the implications of the findings framed within the concerns of police managers,

policy makers, and criminal justice theorists.

1PROCEDURAL JUSTICE AND POLICE BEHAVIOR

Procedural justice, as posited by Tyler (2003, 2004, 2006) and his colleagues (Tyler & Fagan, 2006;

Tyler, Goff, & MacCoun, 2015; Tyler & Huo, 2002), is conceived as having two broad elements of

quality decision-making and quality of treatment. Citizens prefer decisions that are fair, thoughtful,

and feature their input, and they likewise prefer decision processes that affirm their dignity and reflect

concern about their well-being as expected from a trustworthy authority. Authorities whose decisions

reflect procedural justice are posited to be more legitimate in the judgment of citizens and are more