Crises, Gadgets and Reform: A Mixed Methods Study of Police Attitudes toward Body- Worn Cameras

The goal of this mixed methods dissertation (i.e., sequential explanatory) was to gauge the attitudes that officers in the Chicago Police Department (CPD) have toward body-worn cameras (BWCs) and identify the factors influencing those views. Survey and interview data were analyzed, and the results showed that CPD officers are receptive to BWCs and that certain opinions changed over time for the better while others stayed constant. Results also indicated that minority, female, and younger officers' attitudes toward the cameras are more optimistic than their corresponding counterparts. Community context and organizational factors, namely training and culture shaped officers' views toward the technology. These findings' implications for research and practice are discussed in the last chapter of this dissertation.