‘History is written by the victor … but in some cases, it's also now written by the recordings’: Body-worn cameras and the double-edged nature of police visibility

<p dir="ltr">This research examines the evolving complexities in the realm of police visibility with a focus on how frontline police officers experience and respond to the enhanced visibility that their body-worn cameras facilitate. By adding a layer wherein officers can actively participate in shaping the visual narrative of their actions, body-worn cameras challenge and expand earlier frameworks of police visibility. Our findings highlight the double-edged nature of this distinct form of police visibility. On the one hand, body-worn cameras may empower officers by enabling a “responsive visibility” that allows them to react to and potentially challenge claims made through other visibility regimes. On the other hand, body-worn cameras can have disempowering effects, because they subject officers to enhanced scrutiny by supervisors, the courts and the general public. This dual nature of visibility underscores the complex interplay between visibility and power for police officers.</p>