Revija za kriminalistiko in kriminologijo / Ljubljana 67 / 2016 / 4, 300–312 300 1 Introduction 1 2 3 In the wake of a series of high-profle incidents involv- ing the use of deadly force by ofcers, the public’s call for police oversight and accountability has reached a crescendo. As evidenced by tragic encounters in St. Louis, Baltimore, Staten Island and other cities nationwide, there is no ques- tion policing is increasingly challenging, particularly in com- munities where violent crime, unemployment and mistrust of 1 Te authors wish to acknowledge Oxnard police Chief Jeri Wil- liams and Assistant Chief Jason Benites for granting permission to conduct the research. Without their assistant our research would not be possible. Te views refected here are entirely our own and do not in any way refect those of the Oxnard Police Department. We would also like to thank the authors of the Orlando study (Jen- nings, W. G., Fridell, A., Lynch, M.) of Florida State University for granting permission to use their questionnaire for our study. Tis research was supported, in part, by a Culver Fellowship from California Lutheran University, and we thank our undergraduate Culver Felloaws, Nicole Tichy and Kristiana Wright, for their out- standing research assistance on this project. 2 Molly George, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the Criminal Jus- tice and Sociology Departments, California Lutheran University, USA. E-mail: mgeorge@callutheran.edu 3 Robert Meadows, Ph.D., Chair and Professor of Criminology and Criminal Justice, California Lutheran University, USA. E-mail: meadows@callutheran.edu the police are rampant. Te police must be responsible and accountable to the public they serve, and are expected to ex- ercise considerable restraint in difcult circumstances. Given the number of calls for service and observations made by the police in any time period, it is expected a certain percent- age of those encounters will result in complaints of incivility or excessive use of force complaints. It is important to note that a vast majority of police interactions with the public do not involve the use of force. As an example, in 2015, the Los Angeles Police Department reported 1,503,758 public con- tacts. During those public contacts, 1,924 resulted in a use of force. Tese use of force incidents represented only 0.13% of the Department’s total public contacts debunking the theory that the police are out of control seeking and out citizen vic- tims (Bui & Cox, 2016). Tere is a dearth of research on the efectiveness of BWCs, and a particular void in our understanding of ofcers’ attitudes toward the use of BWCs (Mateescu, Rosenblat, & Boyd, 2015). It is of paramount importance that empirical studies of BWCs, and the perspectives and experiences of ofcers regarding the use of this technology, coincide with its widespread and swif implementation by agencies as a policy standard. Te pur- pose of our study, therefore, is to measure the perceptions of ofcers and command staf as they embark on policing in this new surveillance landscape. We conducted a comparative analysis of one of the few studies to date that has surveyed Policing on the Surveillance Frontier: Offcer Perspectives of Body-Worn Cameras 1 Molly George 2 , Robert Meadows 3 Tis study examines frontline police ofcers’ perceptions of body-worn cameras (BWCs). Tis current paper replicates, and then extends, the limited research available on law enforcement perspectives of BWCs. A confdential, online- survey was distributed to members of the Oxnard, California Police Department to assess their attitudes towards BWCs, and specifcally questioned if the respondents believed that the equipment would afect their personal behaviour, the behaviour of their colleagues, and the behaviour of civilians. Overall, results indicate that ofcers are generally in favour of BWCs. Statistically signifcant correlations were found between age, rank, and level of education when comparing ofcers’ perceptions of BWCs. Te study has limitations in generalizability since it deals with only one department and cannot be inferred that the perceptions apply to ofcers working in other agencies. We also recognise that perceptions may change due to department policy or other operational considerations. Tis study confrms existing fndings on law enforcement members’ general support for BWCs, yet suggests diferences across samples. Our fndings point to signifcant benefts, as well as challenges, for law enforcement and the public regarding the deployment of police body cameras. Discussion about the need for BWCs is addressed especially in the current era of litigation. Keywords: police accountability, use of force, technology, surveillance UDC: 351.741