Police Violence and Body-Worn Cameras: What Are the Narratives in Brazil?

Research on policing and police violence in Brazil reveals that selectivity and inequalities in treatment are central to law enforcement practices. Decisions regarding who is approached and the application of police force are deeply influenced by these disparities. Brazil’s history of excessive force and the militarization of police functions contribute to an institutional dynamic where the military police focus on ostensive policing to combat crime. This approach legitimizes and exacerbates the excessive use of force as a response to criminality.

Despite the establishment of legal norms governing state use of force, these regulations often fail to prevent violence from extending beyond prescribed boundaries. Discretionary police actions are entangled with bureaucratic institutionalization, facing significant cultural and structural obstacles in moving away from Brazil’s historically entrenched authoritarian and repressive practices.

In this context, the introduction of digital technologies, such as body-worn cameras, is emerging as a potential strategy to transform the landscape of police violence. This research aimed to review studies on body-worn cameras within Brazilian social sciences over the past five years. The bibliographic search focused on Humanities literature, incorporating insights from Latin American, American, and Canadian studies. Resources included journals and platforms such as Scielo, CAPES Periodicals, and Google Scholar, as well as theses and conference proceedings. Key search terms comprised "body worn cameras" and its Portuguese equivalents. Methodologically, interviews with specialists and police officers were conducted to gather diverse perspectives on the implementation and implications of these technologies.

Preliminary findings suggest that research on body-worn cameras in Brazil is still developing, often divided between those emphasizing increased surveillance risks and those arguing for the potential benefits in reducing police violence, highlighting an ongoing narrative conflict.