The Challenge
Latin America and the Caribbean persistently grapples with high levels of crime and violence. The costs of crime in the region equate to approximately USD 192 billion, slowing economic growth and investment, in addition to driving inequality. Brazil exemplifies these challenges, as 39,561 people were victims of homicide in 2019, making it one of the most violent countries in the world.2 While overall homicides declined since a peak in 2017, there has been an upward trend in police homicides nationwide. In 2013, police officers killed 2,212 people; in 2019, police officers killed 6,357 people, accounting for 16 percent of the total homicides.3 Each state has a military police responsible for responding to emergency calls and preventing crime.
São Paulo State has the lowest rate of homicides in the country with 9 homicides per 100 thousand people, and its military police (PMESP) is one of the best trained in the country. However, the PMESP faces public scrutiny due to acts of police brutality, particularly in low-income areas, that were captured on bystanders’ videos and posted on social media. To increase accountability and improve policing behavior, state military police have begun to issue body-worn cameras for officers on patrol. Evidence suggests that these cameras have reduced excessive use of force by police officers in high-income areas of the country with lower rates of violence.4 However, limited evidence exists on the effectiveness of body-worn cameras on policing in large, diverse, and high-violence cities like São Paulo.
The Evaluation
Researchers conducted an impact assessment in São Paulo in partnership with the Secretary of Public Security and the Military police of São Paulo to evaluate the impact of body-worn cameras on policing behavior. Specifically, researchers measured how body-worn cameras impacted police officers’ use of force, perceptions of their activity, and interactions with citizens. The Military Police of São Paulo State deployed body-worn cameras to all officers in 48 police precincts, encompassing neighborhoods of varied income levels.
Results
Results suggest that body-worn cameras can be effective to improve police accountability and protect vulnerable populations. The number of deaths from police intervention in the precincts fell by 51.8 percent, driven entirely by a 71.8 percent decrease in police killings of Black individuals. This equates to 144 to 183 avoided deaths in the first 14 months the cameras were issued in the São Paulo metropolitan region.
In addition, concerns that cameras might reduce police activity were not borne out. Instead, reporting increased, particularly for theft (by 17.4 percent) and domestic violence (by 99.5 percent), suggesting greater compliance and oversight rather than reduced effort. Researchers found no changes in citizen behavior, pointing to improved adherence to protocols by police as the main driver of reduced use of force.
Cost-effectiveness Analysis
The body cameras were found to be highly cost-effective. At a cost of USD 114.64 per camera per month, the estimated economic benefit from lives saved ranges from USD 117 to 148 million annually, comparing favorably to other policing reforms in Brazil and the United States.
Policy Impact and Implications
Since preliminary results were released in November 2022, the study has received extensive media and civil society attention, bolstering support for body-worn cameras by São Paulo police, which serves over 20 million residents. Subsequently, at least fourteen other Brazilian states have begun testing or are considering the implementation of similar body camera policies. The Ministry of Justice has initiated efforts to support their broader adoption.
To learn more, read the KODLA policy paper here and a publication by UNICEF & Fórum Brasileiro de Segurança Pública here.
Sources
1. Nathalie Alvarado and Ana Maria Ibanez, “Crime is Punishing Latin America’s Economies,” International Economic Association, December 27, 2024, https://www.iea-world.org/crime-is-punishing-latin-americas-economies/
2, 3. FBSP, “Anuário Brasileiro de Segurança Pública,” Brazilian Forum of Public Security, 2020, https://forumseguranca.org.br/anuario-brasileiro-seguranca-publica/.
4. Barbosa, Daniel, Thiemo Fetzer, Pedro CL Souza, and Caterina Vieira. "De-escalation technology: the impact of body-worn cameras on citizen-police interactions." (2021).
Implementing Partner
