7 Quick Stats About Police Body Cameras

Police departments across the country, from departments in Indiana to upstate New York, are implementing programs involving body cameras and dash cameras. Research over the last few years has shown that the relationship between police and the public improves when cameras are in place. If you're thinking about investing in body cameras for your police department, consider these police body cameras statistics that show the many benefits of these devices.

1. In a 2013 survey funded by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services and conducted by the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF), about 75% of police departments did not use body-worn cameras. Those police body cameras statistics have likely changed in the time since, as more counties see their benefits.
2. According to a Pew Research Center survey in 2017, two-thirds of the police (66%) favor the use of body cameras by police to records interactions between the public and officers. About 93% of the public favors the same.
3. About 59% of Americans say that the presence of a body camera on an officer would make members of the public more likely to cooperate, which about 56% of officers say the body cameras would make no difference in the behavior of the public. Approximately a third of the public share that belief.
4. In terms of the officer's behavior, about half of surveyed officers say that a police officer would be more likely to act appropriately if they are wearing a body camera. Approximately 66% of the public says the same, and 27% say that the presence of a body camera would have no influence on an officer's behavior.
5. As of 2000, approximately 3,400 state police and highway patrol vehicles have in-car cameras, totaling about 11% of the police vehicles in the nation. Today, approximately 72% of all state patrol vehicles use in-car video systems.
6. During a field experiment in Rialto, California, researchers found that when police who were equipped with cameras use-of-force incidents were reduced by 50% and citizen complaints against officers were reduced by 90%.
7. In 2015, the Bureau of Justice Assistance launched their Body-Worn Camera Pilot Implementation Program to help state and local police departments fund body cameras. They fielded 285 applications from 42 states, granting 73 awards in total.

These statistics clearly show that when police departments use police body cameras, everyone involved benefits. Invest in cameras today and improve the reliability of your police department.