ABSTRACT
Body-worn cameras have rapidly become a ubiquitous feature of modern policing in municipalities across the globe. There is some evidence that body worn cameras improve the quality of police–citizen interactions and these improvements can, in turn, enhance police legitimacy. However, the increasing prevalence of “policing on camera” raises concerns over heightened state surveillance of public spaces that could threaten the privacy and civil liberties of citizens. If inadequate accountability mechanisms are not in place to regulate police use of body-worn cameras, any legitimacy gains generated by this new technology will be diminished. This concluding commentary draws on the existing scientific evidence and new insights offered by the authors of chapters in this volume to examine the policy dilemmas stemming from the widespread implementation of body-worn cameras by police departments.
