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Articles

Vol. 10 (2023): Revista de Estudos Empíricos em Direito

Use of cameras and Procedural Justice: an analysis from the Brazilian Federal Highway Police

DOI
https://doi.org/10.19092/reed.v10.785
Submitted
October 28, 2022
Published
2023-07-12

Abstract

This article analyses the perceptions of the Brazilian Federal Highway Police officers (PRFs) on the use of cameras to record their actions, given the precepts of procedural justice. The Federal Highway Police (PRF), an organization that has not yet adopted the use of body cameras, is responsible for patrolling Brazilian federal highways and operates throughout the national territory. This is the first survey with the Federal Highway Police performed in Brazil, particularly dealing with procedural justice and perceptions about the use of cameras. The research analyses two aspects: support as good acceptance, by the police, in relation to the use of body cameras to control police activity; and the use of force by the police (procedural justice dimension). The web survey questionnaires were sent to all PRFs in Brazil between June 2019 and January 2020. From a universe of 10.540 police officers, 532 responses were obtained. The article found a relationship between more legitimate support for the use of force by police officers and the use of cameras. However, this support explains partially their perception of the use of cameras. Furthermore, most of the police officers expressed a positive perception about the use of cameras in the three dimensions: the use of cameras in the uniform, the use of cameras in police vehicles, and the use of cameras to record the police action by the population.

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