Abstract: Body-worn cameras (BWCs) continue to be adopted by law enforcement agencies around the world, yet how camera monitoring affects performance dimensions of policing in “critical incident” situations has received scant attention. We contribute to filling this gap. Guided by distraction-conflict theory from psychology, we conducted a laboratory experiment and used electrophysiological methods (EEG and ECG) to explore whether officer performance during simulated critical incidents is impaired by camera-induced attentional conflict. Results from a convenience sample of police officers from a medium-sized Midwestern police department in the USA reveal that camera monitoring had complex, often deleterious, effects on cognitive load, stress arousal, and performance. The current investigation supports a small but growing body of research revealing that BWCs, like any new technology, not only have intended positive consequences, but also potential unintended negative ones that need to be considered from a safety standpoint. A more thorough discussion of policing in the age of BWCs and other forms of camera surveillance is overdue.

Read Full Study – Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology