Viewing police body-worn camera video of use-of-force incidents: Does repeated or slow-motion viewing matter?

What is it about?

Evaluating police use of force incidents often involves viewing body-worn camera footage of the incident. Viewing this footage multiple times can affect how these incidents are judged. Slow motion viewing did not have a consistent effect. This can move people away from the legal standard by which such incidents are meant to be judged.

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Photo by ev on Unsplash

Photo by ev on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Our findings challenge assumptions about how viewed footage is processed and indicates that common practices for viewing use of force body-worn camera footage may be pushing people away from the Graham standard. This has implications for use of force case outcomes and indicates people have trouble adhering to the Graham standard of evaluating the incident from the perspective of a reasonable officer on the scene.