Alana Saulnier
Assistant Professor
Ph.D. (Sociology, Queen's University)
Sociology
Queen's University
Legal authorities use of surveillance technologies, Public perceptions of surveillance in society, Evidence-based policing, Evidence-based crime policy, Experimental criminology
Most broadly, Alana’s research focuses on relationships between legal authorities and the public with a particular focus on how the use of surveillance technologies augments those relationships. Her research chiefly centres on documenting, evaluating, and governing legal authorities use of data collection and management technologies (e.g., body-worn cameras, unpiloted aerial vehicles, etc.), but she also frequently engages experimental methods to explore the nuances of public perceptions of, and reactions to, legal authorities’ use of surveillance technologies. These areas of interest are connected to Alana’s commitment to advancing the evidenced-based policing movement more generally. She advocates for policing and surveillance that is fair, accountable, and transparent, and is interested in partnering with practitioners to achieve these outcomes. Alana has held formal research partnerships with over 20 police services in Ontario.
Alana has instructed courses on surveillance, policing, research methods, and introduction to criminology.
Most Significant Publications
Peer-reviewed
Saulnier, A., Bagg, J. & Thompson, B. (accepted). Canadian policing and body-worn cameras: Factors to contemplate in developing police body-worn camera policy: A proposed body worn camera policy template. Canadian Public Policy.
Saulnier, A. & Sivasubramaniam, D. (accepted). Procedural justice concerns and technologically mediated interactions with legal authorities. Surveillance & Society.
Saulnier, A., Lahay, R., McCarty, W. & Sanders, C.B. (2020). The RIDE study: Effects of body-worn cameras on public perceptions of police interactions. Criminology and Public Policy, 833-854.
Saulnier, A., Burke, K. & Bottoms, B. (2020). The effects of body-worn camera footage and eyewitness race on juror perceptions of police use of force. Behavioral Sciences and the Law, 37(6), 732-750.
Saulnier, A. (2017). Surveillance as communicating relational messages: Advancing understandings of the surveilled subject. Surveillance & Society, 15(2), 286-302.
Applied contributions
Saulnier, A. (2020). Canadian policing and the development of body-worn camera policy: A proposed body-worn camera directive template. A policy template prepared for the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police and the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police.
Saulnier, A., Sanders, C., Lahay, R., Krupp, D.B., Lindsay, S.M., Couture-Carron, A., Scholte, D., Dorion, C. & Burke, K. (2020). Evaluation of the DRPS BWC pilot project: A report prepared for the Durham Regional Police Service. Whitby, ON, Canada.