Valuating Law Enforcement Data in the 21st Century: An Adaptive Mixed Methods Approach, 10 U.S. states, 2017-2019 (ICPSR 37469)

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Study Purpose View help for Study Purpose

The overarching goal of the study was to develop a guiding valuation methodology to assist law enforcement agencies in determining what comparative value different data sources have, whether to acquire new sources of information, and how to use that information effectively. After unexpected findings during Phases I and II, the purpose of the project was refined to focus on body-worn cameras and the costs and benefits associated with them.

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Phase II - Valuation Site Visits:

Nine in-person site visits were conducted with law enforcement agencies, each by two or three members of the project team. One person was generally designated as the primary notetaker, and the others led the discussion. Site visits were arranged by reaching out to a single point of contact in each agency. Each site visit started with an overview of the project and the goals of the visit, which was expected to take one day (although, when necessary, it was split into sessions over two days). During Phase I, the research team realized that valuation would vary considerably by different types of users. Therefore, during Phase II site visits, the research team attempted to meet with agency personnel in the following roles: (1) command staff, (2) patrol officers, (3) investigators, and (4) crime analysts. Except for command staff, the sessions were usually conducted by assignment type in small groups (three to five participants). Command staff was usually represented by a single senior sworn officer (typically at the rank of captain or higher).

Discussion topics varied by the role of the participants. For command staff, the discussion focused on agency-level issues such as policing strategy, data-driven policing, budgeting and funding technology infrastructure, and goals and methods to achieve agency transparency. Discussions with patrol officers, investigators, and crime analysts focused on practical issues with collecting and using data in law enforcement. A key focus was on understanding what data were used, how they were used, and what the impact of removing those data would be. Two other topics came up frequently: "How do users assess the quality of data or data systems?" and "How does informal data sharing affect the utility of agency data?" A subset of participants (patrol officers, investigators, and crime analysts) were asked to talk through various instruments in order to gather information on the utility of specific datasets by user type.

Phase III - Cost-Benefit Analysis for Body-Worn Cameras:

Phase III focused on developing a cost-benefit framework appropriate for body-worn cameras (BWCs). The research team began by scanning the literature to identify both costs and benefits that had been documented in peer- and non-peer-reviewed research. A structured coding instrument was developed, and key information was extracted from each article. A subset of the project team reviewed any empirical articles with a focus on BWCs using the standardized instrument. The instrument prompted reviewers to collect information across multiple fields, including the research questions, methodology used and study type (e.g., randomized controlled trial), sample size, operationalization of complaints or use of force, effect sizes, and summary of results. Once key cost and benefits were identified, the research team conducted in-depth data collections with four jurisdictions that had implemented BWCs. The site visits were conducted with members of command staff, information technology and BWC management, and internal affairs.

A preliminary BWC costing tool, developed on the basis of existing published research, was completed by the participating agencies. This tool was disaggregated into a fillable PDF form that was sent to sites before the site visit. Agency representatives were asked to complete the site visit guide, which was reviewed by the project team before the in-person visit. The review was focused on identifying where data were located that were needed to answer the questions and to identify the questions that could not be answered. The site visits were then conducted in person. The project team was represented by two RTI staff. Representatives from the participating agencies included agency executive staff, technology director, staff responsible for footage storage or transfer, and users of BWC technology. The in-person session was organized around the pre-visit guide and attempted to determine answers for a number of issues, including the following:

1. The process to identify and select a BWC vendor. This included exploring any potential pilot programs that were implemented by the agency before widespread deployment.
2. The cost associated with that identification process, camera acquisition, officer training, data transfer and storage, analysis or retrieval of footage, and other maintenance costs.
3. The sources of funding for BWC adoption and implementation.
4. What benefits were anticipated at the point of BWC adoption and what benefits have been realized since implementation, and, relatedly, what challenges have been experienced because of BWC adoption.
5. The perceived impact of BWC adoption from the perspective of officers, agency leadership, city leadership, and the general public.
6. Whether any data are collected about BWC equipment use and functionality (including equipment malfunctions), and any metrics related to the storage or use of BWC footage

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The study utilized purposive sampling.

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Universe View help for Universe

Personnel from law enforcement agencies across the United States.

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2026-07-16