Examining Police Officer Resistance To Change and Body-Worn Cameras

Police departments are adopting the body-worn camera as an important tool in the restoration of trust and accountability for police officers. Although body-worn cameras can be beneficial to their work, police officers might resist the use of cameras. The purpose of the current study was to examine whether experiences with technology or the perceived usefulness of body-worn cameras predict resistance to the cameras in order to determine where resistance to body-worn cameras possibly exists. The current study employed a quantitative design that examined 48 (n = 48) police officers’ responses about resistance to body-worn cameras in relationship to the following variables: experiences with technology, perceived usefulness (PU), and perceived ease of use of body-worn cameras (PEOU). A survey was delivered to participant police officers through a countywide email system. Data analysis included one-sample t-tests, correlational analyses, and multiple regressions. A statistically significant difference was found between officers’ levels of resistance to change and body-worn cameras in comparison to the scale midpoint. In relationship to resistance to body-worn cameras, statistically significant correlations existed between the variables of experiences with technology, PU, and PEOU. Additionally, the regression analyses showed experiences with technology, PU, and PEOU were statistically significant predictors of resistance to body-worn cameras. Police departments that invest in body-worn cameras should be aware that officers might resist cameras should deficiencies with technology experience, perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use of the body-worn cameras exist