Research SummaryDespite constituting a substantial portion of police contacts, victims in general, and violence against women (VAW) survivors in particular, have received little attention in body‐worn camera (BWC) research. As BWCs proliferate in policing, crafting victim‐sensitive BWC policies is important. Drawing from qualitative interviews with 33 survivors of sexual assault and/or intimate partner violence, we identify themes that characterize victim‐sensitive BWC policies: notification, consent, alternative recording options, procedural consistency, and data storage and access. These findings lay a foundation for further research that can assess the generalizability of these themes to other samples of survivors.Policy ImplicationsVAW survivors are stakeholders who should be consulted in the production of victim‐sensitive BWC policy for police services. This exploratory study suggests that BWC use will be more victim‐sensitive when (1) officers notify victims of BWC use as soon as reasonably possible during an interaction, (2) officers ask victims if they consent to BWC recording, (3) officers deactivate the video recording function of the BWC (or reposition the BWC's lens away from the victim) if consent is not provided or if doing so would make the victim more comfortable, (4) police services ensure that BWCs are used consistently by frontline members, that BWC videos are regularly subject to supervisory review, and that videos are appropriately used in training to prepare for quality survivor‐police interactions, and (5) officers and services provide victims with clear information regarding BWC footage access and data security.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2025 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.