Officer surveillance footage from body cams and dash cams is used by police organizations to enhance accountability, yet little is known about its effects on observer judgment. Across 8 experiments, body cam footage produced lower judgments of intent in observers than did dash cam footage, in part because the body cam (vs. dash cam) visual perspective tended to reduce the visual salience of the focal actor. This research informs public policy regarding the interpretation of surveillance methods of police conduct.
This open science page contains all the videos used across studies as well as all the data.