Unwinding the Impact of Body Worn Camera Evidence on Prosecutor Workload

Prosecutors continue to raise concerns about how body-worn camera (BWC) evidence has increased their workload and contributed to case processing delays. The research to date is mixed—decreased case processing times, earlier pleas, no impact on processing time or case outcomes—but there has been no national examination of prosecutor time spent processing BWC evidence or how local context impacts the time spent.

JMI is proposing such a study to help prosecutors understand the impact on workload and strategies for managing limited resources. The study goal is to identify effective strategies for resource management by providing an evidence-based and nuanced understanding of the level of effort spent on BWC evidence; the use and utility of this evidence in case processing; and how local rules, policies, and practices impact both. Specifically, the study is intended to meet four objectives:

Document the volume of BWC evidence processed by prosecutors’ offices and its utility
Establish a quantitative understanding of the amount of time, effort, and resources devoted to the processing of BWC evidence at each stage in case processing
Measure the impact of legislation, regulations, and local rules/policies related to BWC evidence on prosecutor time, effort, and resources
Determine how different strategies implemented by prosecutors’ offices, defined by legislation, regulation, or local policy, effect prosecutor time, effort, and resources as well as time to disposition and case outcomes

The two-year study consists of three phases. The first is a national survey of prosecutors that examines the volume of cases involving BWC evidence, how it is used in the decision-making process, how prosecutors perceive its utility, and time estimates for BWC evidence processing. Additionally, information on strategies adopted by prosecutors’ offices locally will be assessed. The second phase will assess the level of effort associated with the processing of BWC evidence and the factors that impact processing times between different case events and case outcomes using Delphi panels of 2-3 offices, organized by a typology of regulations, rules, and policies governing the handling of BWC evidence. The final phase will model the effect of different rules and practices on BWC evidence processing times and time between case processing events using Markov Decision Process models.

The study will result in four deliverables—a final research report, an online policy guide for prosecutors on the handling of BWC evidence, and two research briefs summarizing the research findings and the impact on workload and resource management. CA/NCF