Borgida on Body Cameras

In late December, the death of Kokou Christopher Fiafonou at the hands of an Austin, Minnesota police officer was caught on squad-car video. The low-quality video footage has led to less clarity surrounding the case, which may have been avoided if officers had been wearing body cameras. In a MinnPost article titled, “Austin shooting highlights lack of police body cameras in many parts of Minnesota,” experts suggest that body camera footage does not always provide a clear-cut, objective perspective on what transpired in a controversial case. Individuals viewing the footage may have different perceptions and interpretations of what is shown in the footage as a function of several factors that have been studied by researchers. Survey research in the U.S. and in other countries suggests that the use of body cameras by law enforcement is generally supported by the public which believes that the presence of cameras enhances accountability and reduces frivolous complaints about officers. 

In the MinnPost article, Eugene Borgida,  Professor of Psychology and Law in the Department of Psychology at the University of Minnesota, further reflected on the available research on body cameras suggesting that the general public views body cameras as an important tool that can discourage harmful police behavior.  Body cameras are a useful and important technology for law enforcement, but Borgida suggested we need to remember that they are far from infallible as individuals are prone to seeing what they want to see and are influenced by different framings of the events on the ground.

Composed by Flora Pollack, communications assistant.