This Camera Weighs Less Than 4 Ounces and Can Reduce Complaints Against Police by 88 Percent

Last year, police officers in Rialto, California, participated in an unprecedented experiment: Between February 2012 and February 2013, Rialto police wore cameras when they went out on patrol and responded to calls. The devices, made by Taser Inc., weighed less than four ounces and could be attached to sunglasses, shirt collars, and hats. They recorded for 12 hours, in color and HD, and the footage could be wirelessly transmitted to a central database.

The point of the experiment was to measure, for the very first time, the effect cameras had on "self-awareness and ultimately socially-desirable behavior" of Rialto police officers. The results were pleasantly shocking. When officers in the experimental group (i.e., those who wore the cameras) decided to use force, they used it only in response to subjects who were "clearly seen to be physically-abusive or to [be] physically resisting arrest"; whereas officers in the control group (i.e., those without cameras) "resorted to use [of] force without being physical-threatened" 30 percent of the time. Those findings mirrored who instigated the use of force: Officers wearing cameras never instigated violence, but officers without cameras did so slightly less than 30 percent of the time.