Volume 8, Issue 11, November – 2023 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology

ISSN No:-2456-2165

Caught in the Act: Administering Justice with the

Aid of Body Cameras
Dr. Jamaica Kim Lopez Mabanglo
Faculty, College of Criminal Justice Education
Philippine College of Science and Technology,
Old Nalsian Road, Nalsian, Calasiao, Pangasinan, Philippines, 2418

Abstract:- Over the last few decades, policing has Further, there are still challenges present in maintaining
improved along with technological advancements. Yet, the public’s perceptions of law enforcement’s legitimacy and
there are still challenges present in maintaining the transparency. In many countries, some people do not have
public’s perceptions of law enforcement’s legitimacy and complete trust and confidence in the law enforcement in their
transparency, the adaptation to the technology in wearing operations and encounters between officers and community
body cameras has been viewed as one way to address the members that often involve the use of force or cases which
challenges and improve law enforcement practices. With resulted in death.
this, the researcher became interested in determining the
impact of using body cams in strengthening the case Hence, the adaptation to the technology in wearing body
build-up after the conduct of search warrants in their cameras also known as body cams has been viewed as one
anti-drug operations. Further, the researcher used way to address the challenges and improve law enforcement
qualitative research design specifically a case study since practice of the officers on patrol or other tasks that can utilize
it is best suited to generate an in-depth understanding of it to get real-time information when interacting with members
a complex issue in its real-life context. Consequently, the of the community. With this, there may be more transparency
study is aided by a semi-structured interview and the and accountability on the operations and thus, may improve
transcripts were analyzed using the thematic analysis law enforcement legitimacy. This may also serve as a
method. Hence, the researcher discovered three surveillance tool to promote officer safety and efficiency and
significant themes in the impact of using body cameras in prevent crimes (Chapman, 2018).
improving the case build-up after analyzing the
qualitative data: transparency, corroborating evidence, In the United States, it is common for law enforcement
and alternative eyewitness. Moreover, it was concluded officers to use body cameras. The body cameras served as a
that body cameras are becoming the norm in law great tool, particularly in the prosecution of crimes since the
enforcement operations, and can be employed in crime videos were taken with the cameras are being used as
analysis and investigation across the country which has evidence by the prosecutions to get clearer convictions
the purpose to guarantee that operations are free from (Penaranda, 2019). The use of video footage captured during
any alterations and can likewise be available as evidence the operational interactions may provide better documentation
in court proceedings and serve as an alternative witness in confirming what really transpired and support the
for criminal analysis and investigation that serves as an statements of the officers and the community (Chapman,
aid for the administration of justice. 2018).

Keywords:- Body Cameras, Body Cams, Case Build-Up, Meanwhile, in the Philippines, a campaign against
Body Cameras in Crime Analysis, Body Cams in Crime illegal drugs has been pushed through to neutralize the illegal
Investigation. drug personalities nationwide. This is based on the new
millennium indicating that there is a boom in the illegal drug
I. INTRODUCTION industry in the county. With this, the Philippine Drug
Enforcement Agency (PDEA) who serves as front liners in
For the past decades, policing has been improved along fighting the drug problem in our country needed to boost its
with the advancement of methods. It adopted the application operations capability in line with the government's anti-illegal
of technological advances with new perspectives on policing drugs drive.
as well as evaluations of current practices which brought
changes in terms of legitimacy, efficiency, effectivity, and One of these measures is to require the PDEA agents to
transparency. wear body cameras during their operations. The adaptation of
wearing body cameras is helping the campaign more
On the other hand, there is a continuous notion that the agreeable to everyone. The devices are being used to show
ability of law enforcement to fight crime effectively depends transparency amidst the criticism in the war on drugs that has
on the public’s perception of the legitimacy of the actions of been carried out for the previous years.
the law enforcement officers. One basis for this is the
principle of Sir Robert Peel which states that the ability to In addition, the body cameras may serve as a great
perform the duties is dependent upon public approval and to mechanism in ensuring proper accountability and
secure and maintain public respect. transparency, and can also be used in the prosecution of

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Volume 8, Issue 11, November – 2023 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology
ISSN No:-2456-2165
offenses like in the United States provided that they are II. METHODOLOGY
handled and identified under the law and the rules (Penaranda,
2019). The researcher of the study used a qualitative research
design specifically a case study since the approach is best
Moreover, the utilization of body cameras is increasingly suited to generate an in-depth, multi-faceted understanding of
held up as a solution to preventing misconduct and enhancing a complex issue in its real-life context.
the law enforcers’ accountability. As a result, preliminary
research suggests that body cameras could have an impression The participants of the study were the PDEA agents who
on adverse impacts including citizen complaints, the are using body cameras in their anti-drug operations
utilization of force, and other encounters. However, the use of specifically on the conduct of search warrants. The PDEA
body cams generates misunderstandings and affects privacy agents are the ones who are deployed in the provincial office
(La Vigne, n.d.). of Pangasinan and were selected through snowball sampling.
Moreover, the researcher asked the participants’ permission
Further, the body cameras will capture whatever is in for the utilization of information gathered from them for
front of the enforcer who wears it. However, this may not research purposes. The researcher used One-to-One
capture everything that occurs during an incident presenting interviews through Zoom conference calls which were
challenge to investigators or agencies to properly evaluate and recorded upon the permission of the participants.
interpret the evidence in the course of an investigation. More Consequently, the interview was aided by a semi-structured
to the point, one of the challenges is the accurate interview guide in which inquiries posed were open-ended
interpretation of the video footage which may be a difficult questions and unconstrained, with the interviewer letting the
issue to address (Buchner, n.d.). progression of the interview direct the following posed
inquiry. Accordingly, the questions are generally designed to
With this, the researcher became interested to determine find out the impact of using body cams in strengthening the
the impact of using body cams in strengthening the case build- case build-up.
up after the conduct of search warrants in their anti-drug
operations. Furthermore, the researcher employed intelligent
verbatim transcription to transcribe the interview since it
 The Need of the Study produces a more readable transcript while remaining true to
The research study was conducted to determine the the participants' voices and intended meaning. The researcher
impact of using body cams of PDEA operatives in transcribed the recorded interviews into text, omitting fillers
strengthening the case build-up in their anti-drug operations. and redundancies which might interfere with the interview's
Furthermore, the research was chosen since there are contents.
operations that are being compromised due to a lack of
sufficient documentation. Furthermore, the study might assist Additionally, the data were subjected to coding and
concerned organizations in developing policies to improve the analyzing with the aid of QDA Miner software. The thematic
use of body cams in anti-drug operations. analysis was utilized in the study using the combination of the
inductive and latent approach that examines the semantic
 Statement of the Problem patterns in a data set acquired during the interview. These
 What is the impact of using body cams in strengthening approaches were used since the researcher explored the
the case build-up? underlying meaning expressed by the participants without a
predetermined set of codes. The data was organized into
 Scope of the Study themes based on similarities, which aid in building a sense of
The study focused on the implication of using body context and deriving meaning from people's experiences,
cameras in the investigative process in anti-drug operations of perspectives, and opinions. Because the research aims and
the PDEA agents assigned in the Provincial Office of objectives include understanding people's experiences or
Pangasinan. Also, the study was delimited in understanding perspectives through the usage of body cams, this analysis is
the use of body cams in strengthening the case build-up after most suited for the study. As a result, all interviews were
the conduct of the search warrant. Other perceptions of PDEA recorded, transcribed, coded, and analyzed in order to produce
agents that are not assigned in the provincial office as well as the study's findings.
those who are not using body cameras are not included.
Further, the views and opinions expressed by the participants III. RESULTS, INTERPRETATION, AND
in this research do not necessarily reflect the whole PDEA ANALYSIS
operatives in Pangasinan and other areas. The gathering of
information of the study was limited in a form of interviews This chapter presents, interprets, and analyzes the
through video conference platforms due to a worldwide findings of the study on the impact of using body cams in
pandemic that restricts full self-determination in gathering strengthening the case build-up.
data.
 The Impact of Using Body Cams in Strengthening the
Case Build-Up
Upon analysis of the qualitative data, the researcher has
identified three major themes in the impact of using body

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Volume 8, Issue 11, November – 2023 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology
ISSN No:-2456-2165
cams in strengthening the case build-up based on the  Corroborating Evidence.
interviews with the PDEA operatives. The researcher came up with the second theme, which is
corroborating evidence. The participants noted that the usage
Providing Better Transparency. The first theme that was of body cameras might be used as evidence or as the basis of
recognized by the researcher on the impact of utilizing body the court in court procedures, hence the theme was chosen.
cameras in strengthening the case build-up is providing better The video obtained by body cameras depicts actual operations
transparency. This implies that the operations are independent while conducting them, which can be used as proof of
from any attempt to conceal things due to the use of body transparency. Because the recordings captured using body
cameras. cameras may serve as evidence that the operation is a
legitimate PDEA operation, this theme may complement the
This can be supported by the statements of the researcher's initial theme.
participants that were interviewed in the study. Participant 1
mentioned that “The body cameras should cover all the entire Participants mentioned that body cameras footage may
operation from briefing until the end of the operations before be used as a reference by the court in court proceedings.
we withdraw from the area of operation. For me, it’s very Participant 4 also specifically mentioned that the recording is
important to use body cameras. Body camera helps the being saved and it can provide legitimacy of evidence if their
transparency of operations. It serves as an eyewitness and it operation is being questioned when the court requested
allows the public to see exactly what are the actions during the evidence during their actual operations with regards to crime
operations. It helps the public and helps the operatives from analysis and investigation. In addition, the actual operations
false accusations and abuse. So, it helps both the parties are being preserved and footage may serve as a basis if it is
involved during the operation.”. Also, Participants 2 and 3 well documented as stated by Participants 2 and 3.
mentioned that the body cameras are useful to determine what
really happened on the actual operation since the conduct of The statements of the participants are supported by the
search warrant reflects the same with the footage captured by fact that in the United States, law enforcement officers
the body cameras used during their operations. commonly use body cameras, which are regarded as a
valuable tool, particularly in the prosecution of crimes,
In addition, participants also mentioned that the use of body because the videos taken with the cameras are used as
cameras is beneficial since it records the footage that is evidence by the prosecutions to obtain clearer convictions
transparent with the operations of the PDEA. With the use of (Penaranda, 2019).
body cameras, the planting of evidence can be avoided and
the implementation of the search warrant is documented to This is supported by the research of the National
avoid the doubts of the community and other people involved. Institute of Justice which states that body cameras may serve
This is corroborated by Chapman (2018), who claims as corroborating evidence. Arrests or prosecutions may use
that body cams can strengthen law enforcement legitimacy by the footage captured as evidence. Video captured by body-
increasing transparency and accountability. The use of video worn cameras, thus according to proponents, may help
footage that was captured during the operational interactions, document the occurrence and nature of various types of crime,
may provide better documentation in confirming what really reduce the number of time officers spend filling out
transpired and support the statements of the officers and the paperwork for case files, corroborate evidence presented by
community. prosecutors, and lead to a higher number of guilty pleas in
court proceedings (Chapman, 2018) which can be used for
In addition, this is also supported by the campaign that crime analysis and investigation.
the PDEA is targeting. One of their measures is to require the
PDEA agents to wear body cameras during their operations to Moreover, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics
show transparency amidst the criticism that has been carried report mentioned that their law enforcement had acquired
out for the previous years during their operations. These are body-worn cameras increases the evidence quality(National
the guidelines on the use of body cameras during anti-illegal Institute of Justice, 2017).
drug operations dated January 29, 2018. The directives were
provided to guarantee that operatives followed the operating With the use of body cameras, it will be less difficult for
protocols and to minimize expressed serious concerns of the PDEA agents to secure evidence that can further prove what
drugs operations that were carried out(PDEA, 2018). really transpired in an operation. For this purpose, agents are
assigned to carry the body cameras during operations so they
Thus, concerning transparency, a PDEA agent that uses can easily film all the activities and information that may be
body cameras is more than likely going to be more honest used as evidence during court proceedings.
with not only the public they serve but also their officers.
They do not want to stand in front of the public and tell them  Alternative Eyewitness.
something different than what actually happened. This in turn The last theme that was developed by the researcher in
makes them trustworthy and believable in their operations, the study is, body cams serve as an alternative eyewitness.
which is a very important thing for law enforcement officers Body cameras serve as an eyewitness to PDEA operations
to have. since it records videos to find out what really happened that
can be used as a basis in court. This theme can support the

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Volume 8, Issue 11, November – 2023 International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology
ISSN No:-2456-2165
first two themes mentioned in the study which can aid in the search warrant. Furthermore, more research is required in
administration of justice. order to fully comprehend the study's necessity.

The participants mentioned that a body cam “serves as  Conclusion

an eyewitness” that may be used since people can “easily see Body cameras are becoming the norm in law
in case something bad happened” to their operations. enforcement operations and can be employed in crime
analysis and investigation across the country. One of the main
Further, according to the participants “actual footage of purposes of these cameras is to guarantee that operations are
the transactions” can be a good source of an eyewitness free from any alterations. Likewise, law enforcement has an
“because what is recorded on the body cam cannot be incentive to narrate body camera footages with descriptive
distorted”. verbal remarks that support a subsequent prosecution,
considering that the footage will be available as evidence in
Body cameras can help both parties, as the participant court proceedings and serve as an alternative witness for
mentioned that “body cam helps the public and helps the criminal analysis and investigation that serves as an aid for the
operatives from false accusations and abuse. So, it helps both administration of justice.
the parties involve during the operation.” In addition, the
participant mentioned that “and at least that, there are REFERENCES
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