Procedural justice concerns and support for BWCs: turning the lens to officer perceptions

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore factors that drive officer support for body-worn cameras (BWCs). Design/methodology/approach Results of an officer perceptions survey completed as part of an evaluation of the Chicago Police Department’s BWC project are presented. The influence of treatment- and outcome-oriented justice concerns on officer support for BWCs is explored with a variety of covariates. Findings Outcome-oriented concerns are a significant predictor of officer support for BWCs, while treatment-oriented concerns are not. Practical implications The research enhances understandings of the applicability of procedural justice theorizing in policing generally, and offers direction important to the meaningful use of BWCs. Originality/value This finding runs counter to dominant relational models of procedural justice that concentrate on the perspective of subordinates, but lends support to arguments advocating the centrality of role (authority vs subordinate) in the formation of justice evaluations.