|
|
|
|
Sheriff's Department to capture more than criminals |
|
|
Wednesday, 18 July 2007 |
 Ten Inyo County Sheriff?s Department patrol cars are going to be equipped with high-tech, in-car video cameras to help document encounters with suspects and citizens. Photo by Darcy Ellis By Jon Klusmire
Register Staff
Lights, camera, arrest.
That will soon be the script followed by sheriff’s deputies in about 10 patrol cars equipped with video cameras to record the interactions between the deputies and those they stop.
Installing “in-car video systems” in patrol cars is a long-overdue technology upgrade that will help the county both prosecute suspects and defend itself and deputies against spurious claims made by suspects about how they were treated, said Inyo County Sheriff Bill Lutze.
The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the purchase of 10 in-car video systems, which includes the cameras and other hardware, installation of the cameras and training in how to use the equipment. The total cost for the 10 systems will be $53,353.
The money for the videos will come from grant funds the Sheriff’s Department has on hand, Lutze added.
The video systems were praised by the supervisors and Lutze for several reasons.
The cameras, which will be located in the rear-view mirror of the patrol car, will be activated when deputies hit the sirens or lights. Once activated, the small camera will record both what’s going on in front of the vehicle, and will also record what’s happening in the back seat, where suspects ride.
The first benefit of the cameras is that they can provide solid proof of illegal behavior, either by suspects who are stopped alongside the road, for driving under the influence, for example, or suspects – on foot or in a vehicle – being pursued by a deputy. Not only do the cameras record video of an incident, Lutze said they also have a “live mic” that can pick up voices and other noise from about 1,000 feet away from the vehicle, which produces an “audio record” of a stop or pursuit.
Fourth District Supervisor Jim Bilyeu pointed out that one of the systems’ valuable features is that if a suspect is fleeing and tosses away evidence or contraband (a weapon, drugs, etc), the deputy only has to hit a button on the camera and a GPS device will mark the area where the contraband or evidence was thrown out. That enables the deputy to continue the pursuit without having to stop and pinpoint the location of evidence.
Being able to record the actions of suspects in the back seat of a patrol car will enable the deputy to concentrate on driving, not looking over a shoulder to see if a suspect is, for example, trying to empty a pocket of illegal substances. Also, if the suspect damages the patrol car during the ride, the camera will provide evidence of that crime.
Lutze said he had talked to the District Attorney and local judges, and the tape recordings from the in-car videos can be used as evidence in court. That should help make prosecutions simpler in many cases, he noted.
Not only will the camera keep an electronic eye on alleged lawbreakers, it will also keep an eye on deputies and how they handle traffic stops and suspects.
By recording stops and arrests and general contacts with citizens and suspects, the cameras can help the county defend itself against bogus claims of misconduct, excessive use of force or other complaints filed against deputies, Lutze said.
“Any law enforcement incident has the potential to produce expensive lawsuits and criminal court action,” Lutze’s staff report notes. “The video systems will provide a record of the incidents, thereby reducing court time and lawsuits.”
County Counsel Paul Bruce agreed that the in-car video systems could potentially help prosecute suspects and also help “defend the county against lawsuits.”
The recent shooting incident in Bishop involving officers from several agencies proved the value of in-car videos. The Bishop police have in-car video, and those videos clearly show the suspect shooting at officers, which not only implicates the suspect, but also helps validate the decision by officers to return fire.
The system is designed so that deputies in the vehicle cannot erase or alter the video tape to destroy evidence of his or her misconduct, Lutze said. Only a supervisor can download the video, he said.
Lutze said the other benefit of the in-car video is the tapes can be used for training purposes. Deputies and their supervisors can review the tape of a vehicle stop, for example, and review how well safety procedures and other guidelines were followed by the deputy.
Lutze said it was his goal to have in-car video systems installed in all patrol vehicles in the near future.
As for which patrol cars currently have the video system, Lutze wouldn’t say, preferring to allow potential crime-breakers to guess whether their next escapade will be featured on the Sheriff Department’s version of “Candid Camera.”
|
|
Last Updated ( Monday, 10 September 2007 )
|
|
|
|
