Legal
Clinton Township MI Requires Video Surveillance For Certain Businesses
In Clinton Township, Michigan, a growing number of businesses will be able to provide recorded video from a new required surveillance system. Michigan?s most populated township recently enacted a local ordinance requiring certain businesses —such as banks, liquor stores, firearms dealers and coin dealers— to install video surveillance systems.
SIA Endorses Border Security For America Act, H.R. 3548
The Security Industry Association (SIA) has endorsed H.R. 3548, the Border Security for America Act of 2017 (BSAA), authored by House Homeland Security Chairman Michael McCaul, R.-Texas, and co-sponsored by more than 60 members of Congress.
BriefCam Credited For Catching Alleged Child Predator
Meet Sgt. O’Hare of the Hartford PD who used BriefCam to locate and arrest a suspected child predator just last week at the BriefCam booth at ASIS 2017 in Dallas. Jose Japla-Yanes, 34, of Hartford, CT, was arraigned in Superior Court Thursday, after he allegedly tried to lure a 10-year-old girl into his van, and exposed himself to her while she walked to her school bus stop Monday morning. Police said the incident took place on Stonington Street in Hartford. A concerned citizen helped the little girl and called police.
Should Cops Preview Body Cam Video Before Giving Use-Of-Force Statements?
A webinar on the hot question of whether police officers should be allowed to review body cam video before giving statements on use-of-force incidents features a spirited clash of opinions among two law enforcement lawyers and a forensics expert, but in the end offers agreement on two critical points.
Buffalo Police Prepare To Use Body-Worn Cameras In Pilot Program
Editor’s Note: This City of Buffalo is by no means an early adopter of body-worn camera technology. And it is interesting to see the city deal with the same challenges that almost every other city goes through when starting a program to outfit their police officers with body-worn cameras. With so many cities across the United States (and the world) utilizing this technology and seeing the benefits —and learning about the video storage costs and available solutions— how can cities that are just now embracing this technology learn from their sister cities and leap-frog the challenge of ignorance.
Indian Supreme Court Landmark Ruling On Privacy
India’s Supreme Court has ruled that citizens have a fundamental right to privacy. The judges ruled the right to privacy was “an intrinsic part of [Indian Constitution] Article 21 that protects life and liberty.” The ruling has implications for the government’s vast biometric ID scheme, covering access to benefits, bank accounts, and payment of taxes. Rights groups are concerned personal data could be misused. The authorities want registration to be compulsory.
6-Year-Old May Have Been Slapped By Bus Driver – Parents Want Video For Answers
A Belleville, IL, family has questions about a school bus incident that the surveillance video would answer, which is why they say they?ve been asking to see the video for the last four months. Stacy and Mic Barringer say their 9-year-old daughter told them in April that a Belleville school bus driver slapped their son, who was 6-years-old, on his arm. At the time of the alleged incident, the school district, Belleville District 118, had a contract with the private bus company First Student, Inc., which employed the driver. The driver was later reassigned to a different route, according to the family and the district.
NY Bill Would Enable Lawsuit For Nonconsensual Backyard Surveillance
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently signed a bill into law that allows homeowners to sue a neighbor for invasion of privacy if the neighbor secretly records recreational activities in the homeowner’s backyard. The bill, sponsored by state Sen. Cathy Young, R-Cattaraugus County, and Assemblyman Ed Braunstein, D-Queens, builds on a 2003 law that made it a felony to videotape someone without their permission in an intimate setting where there would be a reasonable expectation of privacy, such as a bedroom or bathroom.
Police: Think Twice Before Sharing Video Surveillance Of Crimes
We?re living in the age of video surveillance. Unfortunately, we see it most often when one of us has been violated by crooks. Crimes like package thefts, car prowls, even hit-and-run crashes may never have been solved had it not been for the watchful eye of security cameras. But one Puget Sound police department is warning people to think twice before sharing evidence on social media; otherwise the investigation could be over before it begins.
Baltimore County Explores Body-Worn Cam Use By Off-Duty Officers
Baltimore County officials are looking into requiring police officers to wear body cameras while working off-duty security details. There’s no opposition to the idea. The issues regard costs, logistics and current state law. The move follows a fatal shooting Tuesday by an officer working security at a Catonsville grocery store. Baltimore County police Officer 1st Class McCain fatally shot a man in the parking lot as the man’s vehicle dragged him more than 100 feet while trying to get away.
Families File Suit In Boston Condo Murders: Allege Shoddy Security
The high-end Boston condominium building where two doctors were murdered in May provided an alleged flimsy ?veneer? of security for its tenants, allowing the brutal stabbing deaths to occur, according to a wrongful death suit filed by the victims? families. The suit points out a number of alleged soft spots in the building?s security system. It says anyone can walk into the garage, and that a solitary security employee has the responsibility to watch that camera feed from the front desk.
New Police Body-Worn Cameras Turned On By 911 Dispatch
As police departments around the world struggle with policies and procedures on the usage of body-worn cameras —especially when to turn them on— a new body cam and software solution is delivering on how to effectively get the camera to record at appropriate times. Equature’s Interactive Policing® Real-Time Software allows individual body-worn cameras to be turned on by police management or 911 dispatch control based on the first responder’s operational policies.
Truck Fleet Exoneration: Using Video To Determine Accident Liability
Inattention, excessive speed, failure to yield, and unsafe lane changes are among the top causes of truck collisions, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). For fleet managers, preventing collisions caused by their own drivers can be quite challenging because risk factors must be measured before an accident occurs. But what happens when a crash isn?t the truck driver?s fault? In fact, a Fleet Owner whitepaper on video-based safety, sponsored by SmartDrive, found that even though truckers are blamed for most of the crashes that occur in the U.S., 80% of those crashes are actually the fault of car drivers.
Barrie Ont City Staff Looking At Potential Bylaw To Regulate Surveillance Systems And Drones
The city of Barrie, Ontario, Canada, will take a closer look at regulating technology that’s eyeballing Barrie. Council has asked staff to investigate a potential bylaw to regulate home security video surveillance systems, domestic closed-circuit television surveillance, and drones with cameras. Other city councillors have the same issues but are also concerned about regulation.
Conduent Incorporated Secures Facial Expression Recognition Technology Patents
Conduent Incorporated (NYSE: CNDT) has been awarded a U.S. patent for technology that automatically recognizes facial expressions using images from low resolution cameras. Since becoming an independent public company on December 31, 2016, the company has been awarded more than 20 patents, with several related to computer vision technology. Automatic facial expression recognition technology builds on Conduent’s expertise in computer vision techniques and enables the company to pursue commercial opportunities in multiple industries.
Man Wrongly Jailed Can’t Sue Cops Who Ignored His Video Alibi
This would seem to be a simple case, a real no-brainer, based on the opening statement of an opinion by a federal appeals court judge. “Rasheed Waters sat in jail for more than a year awaiting trial for a crime he did not commit,” wrote Judge Joseph A. Greenaway Jr. “He had a verifiable alibi, based on video surveillance, which he claims the arresting officer ignored.” After viewing that video, a Montgomery County judge promptly dismissed the burglary charges that had kept Waters behind bars so unnecessarily. So, Waters can sue the cops for his troubles, right? – No.
Spring Hill TN Police Employ Drones For Public Safety
The drone will aid the department in a wide range of uses, such as providing an aerial view of HAZMAT incidents and major traffic crash scenes, which helps with investigation and incident reconstruction; having a bird?s eye view during search and rescue missions, or when searching for missing children; tracking an aggressor during any critical incident, such as one involving the police department?s Special Response Team or during a hostage situation; tracking a suspect on the run; traffic monitoring, such as photographing or videoing an intersection where accidents frequently occur, examining storm water drainage issues, school traffic dynamics, roadway construction projects, traffic flow patterns, or any issues that may impact roadway safety.
Farpointe Alerts Partners To Encrypt Wireless Access Control Systems
Farpointe Data, the access control industry’s trusted OEM partner for RFID solutions, alerted its access control manufacturer, distributor, integrator, dealer and specifier partners about the potential impact on their businesses of the settlement of Edenborough v. ADT LLC, (Case No. 3:16-cv-02233, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California). Referred to as the ADT Hacking Vulnerability Class Action Lawsuit, ADT will pay $16 million to settle five hacking vulnerability class actions because of claims that ADT’s wireless security systems were vulnerable to hacking because ADT failed to include any encryption within them.
KC Police Plan To Outfit Officers With Body Cameras As Price Tag Reaches $6M
Kansas City police brass say their plan to equip hundreds of officers with body cameras as a new estimate puts initial costs at roughly $6 million. That $6 million price tag is expected to cover the initial start-up costs, equipment upgrades, storage expenses and hiring additional workers to manage the effort and to respond open records request for the video recordings. Officials have not identified a sustainable funding source and said it could take three years before officers can begin wearing the recording devices. The police board must approve the use of body cameras.
NYC Bill Would Force NYPD To Tell Details Of Surveillance Tools
Legislation debated Wednesday before the New York City Council would force the NYPD to disclose some details about surveillance technology such as cellphone-tower replicators, X-ray vans, and license-plate readers. The NYPD also would need to adopt what lawmakers say are privacy disclosures similar to those of the Department of Homeland Security and other municipalities. Under the POST Act —short for Public Oversight of Police Technology— the NYPD would need to publicly disclose each item?s current and future ?impact and use policies,? seek public feedback, and explain whether court permission is needed for deployment.