Lakehead University researcher studying the use of body-worn cameras with Guelph Police
September 21, 2020 – Orillia, Ont.
Dr. Alana Saulnier, an Assistant Professor in Interdisciplinary Studies at Lakehead University, is receiving a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada grant to collaborate with Guelph Police to contribute to the overall knowledge surrounding body-worn cameras.
The $25,000 Partnership Engage Grant will allow Dr. Saulnier to spend one year on this important research.
Policing is increasingly reliant on advanced technologies, including body-worn cameras (BWCs). However, reviews of existing research reveal various contradictory results, Dr. Saulnier explained.
“Research documenting police adoption of BWCs in Canada is limited,” she said. “Both the mixed nature of results from international studies and the insufficient amount of domestic research make it challenging for Canadian police services to enact evidence-based decisions about BWCs.”
The partnership with Guelph Police addresses gaps in existing knowledge – such as causal effects of BWC on public perceptions and victims’ concerns with BWCs – that are of critical importance for Canadian police to make informed decisions about BWC, she said.
Dr. Saulnier will use the funds to complete a suite of three projects over one year, with each project contributing to the overall goal of building evidence related to police use of BWCs in Canada by addressing the following research questions:
- Does using BWCs enhance public perceptions of police following a traffic stop?
- What concerns do victims have with BWCs and what policies might address these concerns?
- Does BWC-use increase pro-prosecution resolutions of Provincial Offences Act tickets?
Dr. Andrew P. Dean, Lakehead’s Vice-President, Research and Innovation, said this project could have wide-ranging impacts.
“This important research will benefit police services in Canada by allowing them to make evidence-based decisions about using BWCs,” Dr. Dean said.
In 2019/20, Lakehead University will receive nearly $2 million in assistance from the Research Support Fund to support the indirect costs of research, which includes costs for supporting the management of intellectual property, research and administration, ethics and regulatory compliance, research resources, and research facilities.
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Media: For more information or interviews, please contact Brandon Walker, Media, Communications and Marketing Associate, at mediarelations@lakeheadu.ca.
Lakehead University is a fully comprehensive university with approximately 9,700 full-time equivalent students and over 2,000 faculty and staff at two campuses in Orillia and Thunder Bay, Ontario. Lakehead has 10 faculties, including Business Administration, Education, Engineering, Graduate Studies, Health & Behavioural Sciences, Law, Natural Resources Management, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Science & Environmental Studies, and Social Sciences & Humanities. In 2019, Maclean’s 2020 University Rankings, once again, included Lakehead University among Canada’s Top 10 primarily undergraduate universities, while Research Infosource named Lakehead 'Research University of the Year' in its category for the fifth consecutive year. Visit www.lakeheadu.ca.
