Applied Research in Action
Write a 750- to 1,050-word essay responding to the following scenario:
The city police chief reaches out to you knowing your applied research experience. The department has recently had an increase in citizen complaints and officer use-of-force incidents. The chief is considering adopting the use of body-worn cameras (BWCs) but would like to understand research on their effectiveness. She finds you well qualified to provide some direction in this regard.
She has asked that you thoroughly review the research article entitled “Exploring the Potential for Body-Worn Cameras to Reduce Violence in Police–Citizen Encounters,” published in Policing, and prepare an essay for her in which you address each of the following elements:
Describe the primary purpose of the study (exploration, description, explanation, or evaluation). What were the research questions that the study was designed to answer?
List the key independent and dependent variables, identifying the causal relationships the researchers sought to examine. Explain how the researchers conceptualized and operationalized the dependent variables.
Explain the time dimension of the study and how it impacted data collection. Describe whether the study involved a cross-sectional or longitudinal design and whether data were collected retrospectively or prospectively.
How did the researchers test to see whether BWCs were related to the study dependent variables?
What were the results of the study in terms of each of the causal relationships examined? In discussing the findings, be sure to distinguish the study participant groups in terms of outcomes between the separate groups, as well as changes over time within each group. Discuss unusual study findings, noting any changes in conditions under which the study was conducted and other potential reasons these results might have occurred.
Discuss the themes that emerged from the study, providing recommendations to the police chief regarding use of BWCs.
Be sure to cite your sources in the body of your paper and list them on your reference page, consistent with APA guidelines. Remember, applied research is not common knowledge, so it is important to cite to all of your sources of information.
