Body-worn cameras are reshaping perceptions of policing. The small devices, typically mounted on officers’ shirts, provide a lens into law enforcement that is meant to build transparency and trust. But their increased use has also raised a host of questions and concerns: Who should have access to recordings? How will the footage be used? What are the privacy rights of people caught on video? And what are the long-term costs to taxpayers?



Across the country, police departments large and small are rolling out expensive body-camera programs without consistent answers to the questions or, according to policy experts, convincing evidence that the cameras ensure the level of accountability that the public demands. Already, at least 19 states have enacted laws restricting public access to footage, and a dozen more are proposing legislation. This four-chapter video series examines the challenges and incentives — social, political and economic — surrounding the rapid rise of police body cameras. Our story begins in Cincinnati, with a pitch for their use to officers in training.