Major Papers

Keywords

Police Brutality, Body Worn Cameras, African Americans, Implicit bias

Abstract

Police brutality against Black people remains a critical subject matter among scholars in the international society. However, because of the broad nature of the subject of police brutality, this study focused on the United States which is rated as one of the countries with the highest police violence cases in the world. With the rising number of Black-led protests against this menace, the US government, in response, provided the solution of body cameras to mitigate the rise of police violence against ordinary citizens. However, as this study indicates, this solution is limited in its effectiveness.

This study sought to perform a qualitative study on the viability of the solution of body cameras. It provides a historical background of how the formation of the police force in the US was on the legacy of the slavery of Black people and how this has influenced the police relations with Black people. This has contributed significantly to the implicit bias the police force holds against Black people. However, while the study notes that body cameras are not the panacea that will fix the issue of police violence, it still acknowledges the importance of the presence of these cameras. However, stricter policies on the use of body cameras need to be implemented to ensure that these tools are being used in the right manner. More importantly, the study recommends the implementation of implicit association tests (IATs) as part of the psychological section of the recruitment process of new police officers. Regular implicit bias trainings for police officers are also recommended to help officers re-evaluate their biases and ensure that they are policing the right way which will go a long way in mitigating unnecessary killings.

Primary Advisor

Jim Wittebols

Program Reader

Rebecca Major

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Political Science

Document Type

Major Research Paper

Convocation Year

2023

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