RPD Body-Worn Camera Evaluation

<div>Body-Worn Cameras (BWC) have recently been adopted by police departments nationwide in order to redefine policing, accountability, and transparency. Although the expectations of BWCs are high, they are speculated to encourage constructive encounters between police and community members, enhance police legitimacy, improve evidence collection for arrest and prosecution, and expedite the resolution of internal and external complaints. After receiving broad support from local communities in Rochester, the Rochester City Council invested in BWCs with additional support in the form of a grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). A stipulation of receiving federal assistance from the BJA included an independent evaluation conducted by the Center for Public Safety Initiatives (CPSI). CPSI’s evaluation of the RPD implementation of BWCs is multi-faceted, including a variety of qualitative and quantitative data to assess the impact of BWCs on policing processes and outcomes.</div><div><br /></div><div>This assessment includes but is not limited to changes in crime occurrence, complaints against police, and criminal justice processes (including criminal and internal investigations). A component of the CPSI’s evaluation included identifying the communities’ perceptions and expectations of the BWC implementation. In order to accomplish this, researchers facilitated community surveys, community focus groups, and analyzed dialogue exchanged at BWC community presentations. The findings are presented in this report subdivided by the strategies researchers took to accomplish these goals.</div>