police
Implementing a Body-Worn Camera Program: Recommendations and Lessons Learned
Police leaders who have deployed body-worn cameras say there are many benefits associated with the devices. They note that body-worn cameras are useful for documenting evidence; officer training; preventing and resolving complaints brought by members of the public; and strengthening police transparency, performance, and accountability. In addition, given that police now operate in a world in which anyone with a cell phone camera can record video footage of a police encounter, body-worn cameras help police departments ensure events are also captured from an officer’s perspective.
NJ Bill Calling for Police Registry of Security Cameras Coming Into Focus
When a bad guy abducted a woman off the street in Philadelphia a few weeks ago and she was rescued when his car was located in Maryland, I marveled at the black box technology that found the vehicle. Assemblyman Ralph Caputo, D-Essex, NJ, was even more impressed with a nearby store’s video camera that recorded the entire incident and identified the car. So he crafted bill A-3843 permitting a municipality to enact an ordinance establishing a private outdoor video surveillance camera registry, requiring owners of such cameras to register them with police.
To Everyone Vying for Body Cams on All Police Officers
There is something you desperately need to remember to demand and that is a proper policy defining when a police officer must turn on their body worn camera. A lot of people don’t realize that body cams are being introduced without actual policies saying when they have to be used. They’re not constantly recording like dash cams or security cameras – they are only turned on when the police officer decides to turn it on.
California Police Department Orders Digital Ally Body Cameras
Digital Ally has received an order from a municipal police department in the San Francisco Bay Area for 110 FirstVu HD body-worn camera systems. The order includes the company’s patented VuLink Connectivity Devices to allow the body cams to automatically start recording, and nine FirstVu HD docking stations, each of which will facilitate the simultaneous transmission of video from up to 12 FirstVu HD systems to Digital Ally’s new VuVault.Net cloud storage solution.
Tampa Police Solicit Vendor Bids for Body-Worn Cameras
The Tampa Police Department is taking bids to eventually equip all 750 officers with body-worn cameras like the one shown in the photo of a Minneapolis officer. Tampa PD is soliciting vendor bids to outfit 60 officers with body cameras, with a goal of eventually providing them to all 750 officers who patrol the city.
Kastle Systems, DC Real Estate Leaders, and Washington Met Police Department Launch Capital Shield
Kastle Systems, Washington, DC’s Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and prominent Washington area real estate firms launched Capital Shield, a partnership that allows MPD direct access to an interconnected network of private security cameras, floor plans, and other critical information in business locations across the city. Enabling MPD with direct access to a large new pool of video cameras and building information in times of crisis allows first responders to quickly gain the situational awareness required for responding to serious threats.
Expert: Prosecution of Accused Indio CA Officers a Rare Act
The case of two Indio, CA., police officers accused of misconduct in the line of duty will be a rare example of law enforcement officials facing prosecution, a court expert said. Unless there is surveillance footage, which alone doesn’t guarantee a conviction, police officers rarely go to trial for alleged crimes committed in the line of duty, said Olu Orange, director of the University of Southern California’s Dornsife Trial Advocacy Program, which educates students on the U.S. legal systems.
Body Cameras for Cleveland Police on Council Finance Committee Agenda
Body cameras, like the ones shown on police officers in Ferguson, Mo., will likely appear on officers in Cleveland by early next year. (Huy Mach, St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP) Cleveland City Council is expected to pass legislation authorizing the Police Department to spend $1.6 million to equip about 1,000 patrol officers with body cameras. Some council members have been calling for the cameras for years, arguing that the footage would aid criminal investigations and clear up controversy surrounding police shootings and accusations of misconduct.
Digital Ally to Introduce Glasses Camera Option for FirstVu HD Body Cam at IACP Conference
Digital Ally, Inc. announced that it will introduce a “bullet camera” option for its FirstVu HD™ Officer-Worn Video System at the upcoming International Association of Chiefs of Police (“IACP”) Conference, which is scheduled for October 25-28, 2014 in Orlando, Florida.
Rohnert Park CA PD Adds Video Registry to Crime Fighting Toolkit
Rohnert Park, CA, police are encouraging anyone with a security camera to join a new registry. Restaurant owner Isidro Velasco told ABC7 News the best investment he ever made was four security cameras that watch over his restaurant. The database in back of his restaurant records everything the camera sees. The cameras have come in handy when stuff behind the bar went missing. Valasco said he supports a plan by Rohnert Park police for a registry of security cameras to help them fight crime faster.
Chicago to Settle Police Abuse Lawsuit for $150,000
Surveillance video caught a cop abusing a handcuffed woman during a raid. – Last year, security camera footage caught a police officer slapping and verbally abusing a handcuffed, kneeling woman during the raid of a Chicago tanning salon. This week, the Chicago City Council Finance Committee approved a $150,000 settlement of a lawsuit filed by the woman against the Chicago Police Department.
San Jose Police Can Tap Into Volunteer Residents’ Cameras Under Newly-Approved Program
San Jose, CA, Police will be able to quickly view footage from volunteer residents’ private security cameras under a new program designed to increase the eyes and ears of San Jose’s depleted police force. The San Jose City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to create a police department database of all private security cameras owned by residents and businesses willing to participate, starting as soon as next month. Police will not be able to view live feeds from the cameras, but a map of nearby cameras will allow detectives to know if a crime was likely to have been caught on tape.
NYPD Officers in Fresh Assault Claims: ‘They Were Taking Turns Like a Gang’
The New York police department is facing renewed questions over the conduct of its personnel after a man alleged he was viciously assaulted without provocation by a group of uniformed officers. Santiago Hernandez, 23, claims that he was kicked, punched, and zapped with pepper spray by up to six officers on 157th Street in the Bronx on 18 August. A video of his arrest captured by a nearby security camera and published by the local TV channel ABC 7 shows the police initially frisking him, then handcuffing him, and finally piling on top of Hernandez as he lay on the sidewalk while apparently hitting him with batons.
CaughtOnCamera: Thieves Stealing From Farmer’s Produce Stand
A Lawton, MI, farmer caught several thieves on camera stealing food and cash from his fresh produce stand, which uses the honor system and locked cash box, on M-40. Farmer Andrew Nesbitt posts surveillance videos from his stand’s trail cameras onto Facebook, which led Michigan State Police to identifying at these two suspects. One recent video shows a woman who blatantly loaded up her car with produce, including butternut squash, several bags of corn, and a basket full of peppers. Nesbitt said she allegedly stole the food before 11 A.M. on Sept. 2, then by 7 P.M. the same day she returned everything but the peppers to the produced stand.
City’s Camera Systems Help Police Keep Us Safe [Commentary]
[By Det. Robert Onishi, Renton Police Department] On July 2, a Renton resident who had parked his pickup truck at the Henry Moses Aquatic Center discovered that it had been stolen. He contacted the Renton police and an officer responded and took a report of the theft. This kind of personal violation happens throughout King County every year and as the Renton Police Detective handling auto thefts, I see how traumatic it is to these victims. Fortunately, the City of Renton has taken proactive measures to help deter auto thefts and other crimes and to help catch criminals who victimize the public.
NYPD Officers to Begin Wearing Body Cameras as Part of Settlement
Sixty New York City police officers will wear body cameras as part of a pilot program in the wake of a federal lawsuit [see SecurityHive’s original article here.] challenging the department’s controversial stop-and-frisk tactics and the recent death of Eric Garner during an arrest, city officials said. Police Commissioner William Bratton announced the program Thursday, saying officers in at least one precinct in each of New York City’s five boroughs will begin wearing the surveillance devices.
Ferguson Shooting: Police Now Wear Cameras
Police officers in Ferguson, Missouri, have begun wearing body cameras after weeks of unrest over the shooting death of an unarmed black teen by a white officer and sharply differing accounts of the incident, officials said on Sunday.
LE Body Worn Camera Used by Over 4000 Police Agencies Worldwide
The LE3 is rugged, waterproof, and easy to use. The camera clips to a uniform to record both the actions of the wearer and those in its field of view. LE3 features include HD video resolution, 16GB internal memory, and up to 12 hours of record time. The LE3 camera is powered by VIEVU’s VERIPATROL™ software system. Video evidence is securely stored and cataloged with a FIPS 140-2 compliant digital signature process, to verify the video has not been altered.
Iveda Collaborating With Body-Worn Camera Manufacturers to Enable Live Video Streaming for Law Enforcement
Iveda®, enabler of cloud video surveillance solutions via Sentir™ platform, announced that it is working with domestic and foreign body-worn camera manufacturers to integrate its live, mobile video streaming application software for instantaneous video recording to the cloud.
Dallas-Area School Districts Boosting Campus Security Efforts
Most Dallas-area educators won’t be armed this school year despite a new state law that allows concealed handguns on school campuses. For the most part, school district police departments have focused on ramping up current campus security —fortifying doors and installing more cameras— instead of arming teachers. Argyle ISD, in southwest Denton County, has approved […]