Clyde Police Cars Get High-tech Video Systems

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Published on Thursday, 09 June 2011 09:26

Criminals in Clyde beware, the cameras are rolling.

Police in the city just put their brand-new 2011 Ford Crown Victoria police cruisers into service and Tuesday added about $11,000 worth of computer and video equipment to each.

The technology was sold to the department by Data911, a company with a sales office based in Chesterfield, Mo.

Chief Bruce Gower said the introduction of the technology to their cruisers will dramatically improve officers' ability to collect evidence and information, help in court proceedings and keep the police more accountable to the public.

"It is tough to look at yourself on TV and say, 'I didn't do that,'" Gower said. "It is a good check and balance system; it is a check on us, too. I think it will make the officers more conscious of what they are saying and doing."

Sgt. Mark Roach agreed, saying he is constantly discovering new potential uses for the system.

"I see a lot of advantages with it," Roach said. "Especially on pursuits."

The system constantly records video without audio, though only 60 seconds are stored at a time unless the recording system is turned on by one of three triggers: The officer activating the cruiser light bar, an internal crash sensor, the in-car activation switch or a mobile pack that straps onto an officer's belt.

That extra 60 seconds of recording time before the camera is officially "turned on" could be invaluable in a number of situations, Roach said.

For example, it would catch on video a reckless or speeding motorists before the officer decides to pull him or her over and catches the first few moments of a vehicle pursuit.

"In case a guy flies through a red light in front of you, you would be able to go back and see him do it on video," Gower said.

The mobile pack also has a wireless microphone that police can use during interviews or other situations.

Gower said he will encourage his officers to never turn the cameras off; unneeded video files can always be deleted after a certain amount of time has passed, he said.

The computer itself and an eight-gigabyte flash-style digital recorder are housed in a steel box in the cruisers' trunks, and the monitor and keyboard can be used by the officer driving.

One camera is mounted near the top of the cruisers' windshields and can be adjusted, and a second camera is mounted in the back seat to record detainees.

Each time a cruiser pulls into the city's garage, the system will automatically download all the video files to the department's server.

Eventually, Gower said, he hopes to use a city-wide wireless broadband network to constantly download videos to the server.

Each video can be classified with tags like "drunk driver," "prisoner transport" and others, carry precise time and date stamps, the cruiser number and GPS coordinates, which police expect to be a huge help in court and with investigations.

The city department purchased three video systems from the company, but the shipment of cameras from Japan was delayed by the tsunami and nuclear power crisis.

Gower said he hopes to eventually purchase a fourth system so the department will have one in each of its four cruisers.

The department also hopes to eventually install automatic license plate scanning technology.

The video systems allow department administration to access the cruiser cameras from the police station or their home computers.

"We can see what the officer is seeing as they are driving," Gower said.

The chief said he anticipates video evidence to cut court time and costs since criminals and their attorneys will be less likely to contest tickets or charges if they can see the proof on video.

Written by Mark Tower
Originally appeared in the News-Messenger, June 9, 2011