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A body camera, bodycam, body-worn video (BWV), body-worn camera, or wearable camera is a wearable audio, video, or photographic recording system. Body cameras have a range of uses and designs, but are most well known as being policing equipment. Other kinds of body cameras include action cameras for recreation (including cycling), as well as within the world of commerce, healthcare, medical use, military use, journalism, citizen sousveillance and covert surveillance. The impact of body-worn cameras for law enforcement shows mixed evidence as to their impact on the use of force by law enforcement as well as the communities' trust in police. The publicized deaths of black Americans at the hands of police has been a large factor increasing support for body worn cameras by police personnel. For decades people have protested police by watching them stemming from long term unhappiness with the system, and social media has only bolstered this behavior form the public.

Wearable cameras are used by police and other law enforcement organizations in countries around the world. The cameras are intended to improve interactions between officers and the public. The first generation of 'modern' police body cameras was introduced around 2005 in the United Kingdom, followed from 2014 onwards by large-scale implementation in the United States, mainly to increase transparency and police accountability. '''Following multiple cases of civil unrest surrounding the deaths of civilians under police supervision, a growing current of demands for a more thorough investigation process began to swell. Groups like Black Lives Matter were protesting and calling for action from the Obama Administration. On December 18, 2014, the Obama administration cited “simmering distrust” between police and minorities as a reason to enact the president's task force on 21st century policing as an executive order . There are more than 1800 police departments in the United States, and by 2016 more than half of them were using BWC technology in some capacity .'''Early studies showed positive results, but replications have led to mixed findings. Outcomes have been shown to differ depending on the local context and the guidelines regulating activation of the body cams. The most obvious effect of this technology would be increased transparency between the police force and the public, as the technology makes it much easier to collect evidence of misconduct whether that be on the part of the officer or the civilian . Challenges include training, privacy, storage and the use of recordings further 'downstream' in the judicial system. The presence of body-worn cameras influences both parties present for an arrest, but the exact effects are currently inconclusive '''. However, the presence of body-worn gives ease to the public which can improve relations between police and the public. Conclusive studies have not yet reached an explanation as to the concrete effects on the individuals, but it can be noted that the presence of body worn cameras has resulted in a decrease in civilian complaints'''. A systematic review assessed the available evidence on the effect of body-worn cameras in law enforcement on police and citizen behavior. They found that body-worn cameras may not substantially impact officer or citizen behavior and that effects on use of force and arrest activities are inconsistent and non-significant. Research suggests no clear effects of body-worn cameras in terms of citizen behavior such as calls to police and resisting arrest. Subsequent analysis of the research affirms these mixed findings and draws attention to how the design of many evaluations fails to account for local context or citizen perspectives.

Body- worn cameras have become one of the biggest costs for townships, cities, and agencies for police, costing millions of dollars. The main reason for the growth of body-worn cameras is a direct result of the publicizing of events over the past decade, where Caucasian police offers have killed unarmed Black civilians. The family of Michael Brown, a black teenager killed by police, called for the use of BWCs by all police in the United States '''. The task force assembled by the Obama administration recommended the use of BWCs on the local level in 2015, this was backed up by the Department of Justice .''' The main place where body- worn cameras have become more popular, is in low-researched environments, because the main driving reason for BWC becoming so popular was due to public protest.

Body worn cameras by police, was not only a popular development in the United States, but also by those in England and Wales, and there, it's not a new discovery. The overall outcome and reactions to these cameras have been positive, but that optimism does not equal effectiveness '''. Even Officers are recorded as being in favor of the technology when in the field, but their reasons generally involve the integrity of evidence and improving officer behavior .'''  There has been no proof of how these BWC have had impacts on the actions and reactions of the police wearing them. In American courts, the use of BWC footage is inconsistent from a federal to state level, but the use of the footage no doubt make for crucial evidence in a case .