POLICE BODY CAMERAS / Former Giants RB shot, captured on uniform lapel camera

[Cutz]

I like dash-cams for that tho. They're limited in scope, but they capture the entire scene. There's no movement and you're not looking at the ground or the cop's shoulder for 20 seconds while all the action happens.

That and they can't really be used to film everything inside your car while invading your privacy.

[Duchess]

I remember when that happened!

There are a lot of times I no longer question why they don't get the respect they think they deserve.

[username]

WTH??? I've never seen that video. He was just getting his license for God's sake. That's insane!!

[HairOfTheDog]

POLICE BRUTALITY PROTESTS SPUR WIDER/QUICKER ADOPTION OF POLICY BODY CAMS

Mayor Eric Garcetti announced Tuesday that the city of Los Angeles was purchasing 7,000 body cameras for its police officers in an effort to increase transparency.

The cameras, produced by Taser International, are roughly the size of a police badge and can be outfitted on the center of an officer’s chest or elsewhere, depending on the model.

The quality of the images are on par with today’s camera phone videos and capture what an officer sees and hears in the field. The images do blur during quick movements, however. The video is quite clear and sharp, especially compared to some earlier dash cam/body cam videos that I've seen. You can check it out here: http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me...story.html

¹⁄₃ of police departments across the country are undergoing body cam trials and some have adopted body cams partially. LAPD is working toward quick full implementation. Good.

Rialto, CA PD adopted body cams for half of its force in 2012. The report on results is in: over 50% reduction in incidents where force was used by officers and ¹⁄₁₀ the number of citizens complaints filed against officers. Pretty damned impressive.
Source/report: http://www.policefoundation.org/content/...-use-force

[Midwest Spy]

I'm in favor of the cameras.

[Duchess]

I'm not against them but given people see actual video of cops being assholes and abusing their positions and still nothing is done I fully expect it to be the same with these body cams.

[Maggot]

Some cops will arrest you if you film them doing a stop or arresting someone.

[HairOfTheDog]

I'm not against them but given people see actual video of cops being assholes and abusing their positions and still nothing is done I fully expect it to be the same with these body cams.

The department trials show consistently large decreases in use of force and citizens complaints when body cams are used.

Body cam footage not only provides additional evidence in some contested incidents, the cameras are also of equal (or even greater) benefit to society as a deterrent for cops to use force unnecessarily in the first place, or for citizens to attack or make false claims against cops.

They're a great thing overall, despite not being a full or perfect solution. IMO.

[Duchess]

The department trials show consistently large decreases in use of force and citizens complaints when body cams are used.

Good. That's what we want to happen

I mentally applauded when I first heard about them being used but shortly thereafter I began seeing people commenting like I just did and I agree with them too. I mostly think about the case in NY in regards to video of exactly what went down.

[HairOfTheDog]

Anyone who is looking for a full solution to end police brutality, or to achieve what they perceive to be appropriate justice in all cases, or to abolish false claims against police officers altogether is unrealistic.

Nothing will make that happen because human nature is what it is and perfection can very rarely be achieved in any context. I think the majority of citizens understand that and that's why they support the body cam push, regardless of the Garner case and others like it.

Disagreeing with the grand jury decision in the Garner case and therefore changing one's mind about supporting continuous improvement through body cam adoption is an emotional reaction, not a logical one. IMO.

I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of rational people who exclaimed, "well then........what good are body cams, FFS!?!?" in response to the lack of indictment against Pantaleo were venting their (understandable) frustration in-the-moment, rather than truly switching to a perfection-or-nothing long-term stance. I could be wrong though.

[HairOfTheDog]

These are so cool.

5 angle dash cams being used by Palo Alto, CA PD.



They record up to 40 hours.

Main purposes:
1. Evidence
2. Improved police/public safety and interactions (complaints against cops are down since the cams were implemented).

I don't know the cost of the cams, but it sure would be great if every police vehicle across the country was equipped with them.

Those who object to current police cams on the the basis of privacy concerns probably won't like these high-tech automated cams all that much though.

Story and video: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-tech-all...verything/

[SIXFOOTERsez]

Pretty cool tech. The cameras are pretty cheap, you can get Sony 1/3" Super HAD for under $15 especially in bulk orders. The pricy parts are the recorders, fortunately you only need 1 per car.
Man I knew I should have patented this idea years ago. It was something I was discussing with some guys on the corvette forum several years ago
Snooze you lose...

[HairOfTheDog]

This piece covers some of the cost and logistical issues that Maggot and Jimbone and I were discussing in the Hlllary Clinton thread (she's using police body cam requirements as part of her campaign platform).

A large pilot program is currently underway in Midwest Spy's neck of the woods.

Snip:
The Department of Justice announced a $20 million pilot program for body-worn cameras at police departments around the country. In the wake of incidents where black men have died at the hands of police officers, officials are adding the cameras to increase transparency and to protect their officers. Minneapolis has already invested more than $1 million in its pilot program. But implementing this kind of program isn't as simple as hitting the record button.

Officer Brandon Bartholomew is one of 36 officers testing cameras for the Minneapolis Police Department.

"You really become familiar and comfortable with the camera being there and I think the training is really on the job," he said.

As many as 4,000 police departments nationwide are using body cameras. While studies show the cameras can reduce excessive force, they also present a new set of challenges.

"Right now, Minnesota as a state is...deciding what state law is going to be as far as when you can turn these cameras on and off, how long you have to keep the video, who has access to it, so there's a lot of things still up in the air," said Minneapolis Police Department Deputy Chief Travis Glampe. A single crime could result in hours of video, he added. "If you have 14 responding officers show up for a homicide, their video, no matter how little evidence or how much evidence it contains, has to be kept indefinitely."

The Minneapolis Police Department says it will store all body camera video for a minimum of one year at a cost of at $300,000 annually. Cost isn't the only issue--retaining video for that long raises privacy concerns.

"Every time we have a request for the videotape, is the video public or not public, those are discussions we continue to have," said Minneapolis Police chief Janeé Harteau.

Full piece: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/police-body-...hallenges/