Body-Worn Camera-Based Investigations and Public Judgment

Abstract

Debates over police accountability have intensified in recent years, yet progress on specific reforms often remains uneven amid partisan division. Body-worn cameras (BWCs) are a notable exception, maintaining high public support despite polarized attitudes toward policing. This study examines how public evaluations of BWCs depend on the outcomes of BWC-informed investigations rather than procedural use alone. Using a pre-registered, nationally representative survey experiment of over 3,000 respondents, we vary whether BWC footage exonerates or implicates an officer and whether disciplinary action follows. Exposure to any BWC-based investigation increases support for requiring cameras and perceptions of police transparency relative to a control condition. While baseline attitudes differ by party, treatment effects show little systematic partisan variation, with political independents most willing to change their attitudes. In contrast, substantial racial heterogeneity emerges, as Black and Latino respondents begin with lower baseline support but respond more strongly to BWC outcome information. These findings suggest that BWCs function as a cross-cutting reform whose legitimacy benefits stem from credible signals of review and accountability rather than shared motivations across groups.