Steven Sukkau
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Winnipeg Sun
Body-worn cameras have become a powerful symbol of police accountability, but a new book by a Brandon University scholar argues their influence has been driven as much by public storytelling as by hard evidence.
Police Body-Worn Cameras: Media and the New Discourse of Police Reform, published by Routledge, examines how cameras moved rapidly from pilot projects to policy cornerstones in policing debates. The book is co-authored by Brandon University sociologist Dr. Christopher J. Schneider and Trent University researcher Dr. Erick Laming.
Drawing on a decade of research funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the authors analyze how media coverage, institutional messaging and political rhetoric have framed body-worn cameras as a response to calls for transparency and reform, even as academic studies show uneven outcomes.
Schneider said the technology has often been treated as a proxy for reform rather than one tool among many.
“There’s been a tendency to invest cameras with expectations they were never designed to meet,” he said, adding the book aims to encourage more critical discussion about how and why the technology is adopted.
Rather than focusing on whether cameras “work” in narrow terms, the book explores how narratives around surveillance, visibility and trust have shaped public understanding of policing in the digital age.
University officials said the work highlights the role of social science research in questioning widely accepted policy assumptions.
“This kind of scholarship helps us step back from quick technological fixes and examine the broader social forces at play,” said Dr. Gregory Kennedy, dean of arts at Brandon University.
Dr. Bernadette Ardelli, vice-president of research and graduate studies, said the project reflects the university’s emphasis on interdisciplinary research with real-world relevance.
“By critically evaluating ideas that gain momentum in public discourse, this research strengthens informed debate and better policy-making,” she said.
The book is intended for researchers, journalists, policymakers and others interested in policing, media and criminal justice, and is now available through Routledge.
