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Sunday, July 10, 2011

Ind. Decisions - More on "Man Who Refused To Hand Over Arrest Video Acquitted: 66-Year-Old Man Took Video On Cellphone"

Remember this ILB entry from July 2nd. I've seen a lot of stories about police objecting to being recorded on cellphone videos.

So this long AP story today from Oakland, California, that appears in the Gary Post-Tribune, is interesting. Here is a sample:

Oakland and hundreds of other police departments across the country are equipping officers with tiny body cameras to record anything from a traffic stop to a hot vehicle pursuit to an unfolding violent crime. The mini cameras have even spawned a new cable reality TV series, Police POV, which uses police video from Cincinnati, Chattanooga and Fort Smith, Ark.

Whether attached to shirt lapels or small headsets, the cameras are intended to provide more transparency and security to officers on the street and to reduce the number of misconduct complaints and potential lawsuits.

“First and foremost, it protects the officers, it protects the citizens and it can help with an investigation and it shows what happened,” said Steve Tidwell, executive director of the FBI National Academy Associates in Quantico, Va. “It can level the playing field, instead of getting just one or two versions. It’s all there in living color, so to speak.”

In Oakland, where the department is still under federal supervision because of a case in which four officers were caught planting drugs on suspects a decade ago, the cameras are like another set of eyes, said Capt. Ed Tracey.

From later in the story:
Officers are required to turn on their cameras for calls including traffic stops and possible searches. They are also required to download their video within a day and they are not allowed to edit or manipulate it. The video can be stored up to five years.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on July 10, 2011 03:28 PM
Posted to Ind. Trial Ct. Decisions