Résumé
The research team at the Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy at George Mason University (herein “GMU Team”) will undertake four project phases to help the Laura and John Arnold Foundation (LJAF) achieve its goal of developing an evidence-based research agenda for the field:
PHASE I: A systematic review of existing and ongoing research knowledge relevant to BWCs for both law enforcement and the courts. This review will allow the LJAF and others to understand the scope of research and knowledge on BWCs through December 2015, as well as identify gaps and opportunities for future research projects.
PHASE II: Studies of current BWC use and concerns in law enforcement and the courts. This phase will include reviewing new survey evidence from the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics and the Police Executive Research Forum (supported by LJAF) regarding the prevalence and nature of BWC use in law enforcement.1 The research team will also undertake a survey of prosecutors (led by Dr. Linda Merola) to understand the prevalence and nature of BWC use in the courts.
PHASE III: Develop an evidence-informed research solicitation for the LJAF based on the evidence assessment and survey results from Phases I and II. The research team will map priorities and opportunities for new research with the LJAF and develop a research solicitation that reflects these needs.
PHASE IV: The research team will assist the LJAF in implementing the solicitation, targeting a broad range of scholars and practitioner-researcher teams. The CEBCP team will also assist the LJAF in judging and investigating the merits of the proposals based on scientifically sound principles.
This report presents the results of Phase I.