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Study: Policing is changing in presence of cameras

Researcher Gregory Brown thinks the constant filming of cops has good and bad effects

CBC

OTTOWA, Canada — An Ottawa researcher says the rise in cellphone camera videos and social media sharing have changed the way police officers do their work, for good and bad.

Gregory Brown, a sociology researcher at Carleton University, said he surveyed 231 front-line police officers about how citizen surveillance has changed the way they do their jobs. The average officer reported being caught on camera by the public 17 times in their career, and said that the potential to be photographed has changed their behavior.

About 74 per cent of the officers who participated in the study reported having modified different aspects of their behavior while on duty. More than half of them said it’s reduced the number of times they use force on the job or that they have reduced the strength of the force they use.

Full Story: Police worry about being caught on video, researcher says