Does surveillance of officers lead to de-policing?

Policing scholars have suggested that policing may be undergoing “depolicing,” or an organizational slowdown as a consequence of enhanced technological surveillance apparatuses placed on officers. Do body-worn cameras (BWCs) cause de-policing because officers are continuously videotaped, which leads to slowdown, demoralization, or inertia? Rigorous evidence is presently scant. We conducted a test of BWCs on de-policing using a randomized crossover controlled block design in the Republic of Uruguay. Our study suggests no indication of de-policing as a result of using BWCs. We conclude that BWCs do not appear to induce, intensify, or suppress deliberate slowdown. We argue that digital surveillance embodied in BWCs can lead to desirable heightened levels of police accountability and transparency, without the potential for inertia or slowdown, as some scholars have previously suggested.