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Thread: Calif. city's police to wear head-mounted cameras

  1. #1

    Calif. city's police to wear head-mounted cameras


    SAN JOSE, Calif. – San Jose police are testing head-mounted cameras to record interactions with the public.

    The test using 18 patrol officers comes as citizens' groups criticize the department for too often using force during arrests.

    Officers are to turn on the cameras every time they talk with anyone. They download the recordings after every shift.

    The cameras are the size of a Bluetooth cell phone earpieces and attach by a headband above the ear.

    San Jose is the first major American city to try the devices, made by Arizona-based Taser International. Taser is paying for the experiment, but the price could be high if San Jose equips all 1,400 officers.

    Each kit costs $1,700, plus a $99 per officer monthly fee. That's $4 million department-wide each year.

    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_california_police_cameras
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  3. #2
    It sounds like a good idea to me if one disregards the price tag.

  4. #3
    There is pen camera's that are much cheaper. Maybe we should be the ones to carry camera's on our heads when we interact with the police.
    The American people will never knowingly adopt Socialism. But under the name of
    'liberalism' they will adopt every fragment of the Socialist program, until one day
    America will be a Socialist nation, without knowing how it happened. ~ Norman Thomas

    Insurrection will amass from the inside. ~ Me 3/17/09

  5. #4
    I ran into a rather drunk and easy talker that was a supposed electrical engineer for this company Taser International. He had basically laid-out how the product was package and sold to the police stations. In the end trying to get me to invest in the company believing since they would be the first to offer a product like this without competition would amount to tremendous profits and subsequently a rising stock price. I almost think it is a good bet, the day of the run in the stock price was at like $4.

    However from what I gathered the devices are not going to be used for good. The trial for the device recorded a cop shooting a criminal and then later exonerated on the charges thanks to the video evidence. That wasn't exactly a deal closer for me. So I brought up the fact that what if they just edit the videos or hackers get into the system. And to reply to that he reassured me the police stations across america are buying these hook line and sinker, so think about money to be made. Anyways this thread brought back that night, this guy was fairly annoying and had terrible salesman tactics but was knowledgeable enough about the product that he was believable.

  6. #5
    Maybe we could get them to wear them while skateboarding for a good laugh.

    YouTube - Horrible Skateboard Accidents

  7. #6
    If you're angry about the exorbitant cost that's one thing, but being angry about them wearing cameras is ridiculous. It would only provide police the opportunity to resee what they've seen or maybe catch something they didn't see while they were looking in a direction.

  8. #7
    ya sounds like it could prevent abuse of powers.
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  9. #8
    The "protection" this offers will not be a two way street. Of course these things will prove extremely valuable in getting cops off the hook for misconduct (see? right there, it could have been a gun he was reaching for instead of his wallet. of course I had to shoot him). But what do you want to bet that anytime these things happen to produce evidence of misconduct, the camera will "malfunction", "forget" to be turned on, or the data will be "lost"?



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  11. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by invisible View Post
    The "protection" this offers will not be a two way street. Of course these things will prove extremely valuable in getting cops off the hook for misconduct (see? right there, it could have been a gun he was reaching for instead of his wallet. of course I had to shoot him). But what do you want to bet that anytime these things happen to produce evidence of misconduct, the camera will "malfunction", "forget" to be turned on, or the data will be "lost"?
    That was my first thought too, but there may nevertheless be a positive effect as well: It may become somewhat harder for halfway decent supervising cops to "look the other way" as often, because it will start to become more apparent within the department that false reports are endemic. Granted, this requires someone with a conscience to be in a supervising position, and that's not always going to be the case, but it may open some eyes. It could at least result in some of the "worst of the worst" thugs having to slightly scale back their brutality to "ordinary" police standards.
    Last edited by Mini-Me; 12-21-2009 at 04:22 PM.
    Quote Originally Posted by President John F. Kennedy
    And we must face the fact that the United States is neither omnipotent nor omniscient. That we are only 6% of the world's population, and that we cannot impose our will upon the other 94% of mankind. That we cannot right every wrong or reverse each adversity, and that therefore there cannot be an American solution to every world problem.
    I need an education in US history, from the ground up. Can you help point me to a comprehensive, unbiased, scholarly resource?

  12. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Andrew-Austin View Post
    It sounds like a good idea to me if one disregards the price tag.
    Agreed.

  13. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by Che View Post
    Officers are to turn on the cameras every time they talk with anyone. They download the recordings after every shift.

    The cameras are the size of a Bluetooth cell phone earpieces and attach by a headband above the ear.

    Seems like the camera could be left on during the entire course of the officer's shift. The technology should be available to give a continuous feed to a central computer, where it could be recorded in the same manner as 911 calls. That would certainly cut down on the likelihood of tampering, etc...

  14. #12
    Just wait til they start integrating other technologies with the cameras.. you know, facial recognition software and other surveillance software.

    As a camera only it probably would not be that bad and probably would even do some good but if the tech is accepted I doubt it would stop there.

  15. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by DocGrimes View Post
    Just wait til they start integrating other technologies with the cameras.. you know, facial recognition software and other surveillance software.

    As a camera only it probably would not be that bad and probably would even do some good but if the tech is accepted I doubt it would stop there.
    +1

    Just by looking at you they could instantly check if you have insurance, any warrants, have paid your taxes, are a member of the "terrorist" database, etc. etc.

  16. #14
    I think all the cops should wear helmet cams all the time, and then connect them to the Net, so that anyone can watch. That way we have transparency and accountability.
    __________________________________________________ ________________
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  17. #15

  18. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by Matt Collins View Post
    I think all the cops should wear helmet cams all the time, and then connect them to the Net, so that anyone can watch. That way we have transparency and accountability.
    LOL, yeah that would be great... who needs COPS the TV show. Now private life can be broadcast for all to see due to CopCam. No thank you.



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  20. #17

    Unhappy

    Quote Originally Posted by DocGrimes View Post
    LOL, yeah that would be great... who needs COPS the TV show. Now private life can be broadcast for all to see due to CopCam. No thank you.
    Yeah as soon as I hit the "submit" button I realized there was a definite downside to it - we'd be turning into the Roman empire with the coliseum and all. People would be tuning in to watch the police violence and that would encourage more of it.
    __________________________________________________ ________________
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  21. #18

  22. #19

  23. #20
    Just another one of those "it's for your own safety" devices that will undoubtedly be used against you much more than for you. This is no substitute for your own recording device when dealing with cops.
    "Let it not be said that we did nothing."-Ron Paul

    "We have set them on the hobby-horse of an idea about the absorption of individuality by the symbolic unit of COLLECTIVISM. They have never yet and they never will have the sense to reflect that this hobby-horse is a manifest violation of the most important law of nature, which has established from the very creation of the world one unit unlike another and precisely for the purpose of instituting individuality."- A Quote From Some Old Book

  24. #21
    LOL.

    "the technology is there we might as well use it. People have been using it against us for years, unfortunately only for the bad stuff"

  25. #22
    Quote Originally Posted by akihabro View Post
    There is pen camera's that are much cheaper. Maybe we should be the ones to carry camera's on our heads when we interact with the police.
    Instead of buying cameras ourselves, they'll use your money to buy cameras for themselves!
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    If they government ran off of profit it would be more effect and could deliver good service.

  26. #23
    Quote Originally Posted by devil21 View Post
    Just another one of those "it's for your own safety" devices that will undoubtedly be used against you much more than for you. This is no substitute for your own recording device when dealing with cops.
    True, but the way I see it, there will ultimately be more evidence, in aggregate, to be used against police brutality. There are, and will be, definite downsides, but as The Judge said, the camera is a modern day weapon. It can be used for good or bad. Furthermore, the notion that everything they do is on film might, just might, change the mindset from "anything goes" which some cops have, to a more cautious attitude.

  27. #24
    Quote Originally Posted by TinCanToNA View Post
    True, but the way I see it, there will ultimately be more evidence, in aggregate, to be used against police brutality. There are, and will be, definite downsides, but as The Judge said, the camera is a modern day weapon. It can be used for good or bad. Furthermore, the notion that everything they do is on film might, just might, change the mindset from "anything goes" which some cops have, to a more cautious attitude.
    Unless it's on an INTERPOL cop's head, then it's only available if they want to use it against you. Point is, it's way more slippery and complicated that you make it out to be when the cops are the ones that control the video after the incident.
    "Let it not be said that we did nothing."-Ron Paul

    "We have set them on the hobby-horse of an idea about the absorption of individuality by the symbolic unit of COLLECTIVISM. They have never yet and they never will have the sense to reflect that this hobby-horse is a manifest violation of the most important law of nature, which has established from the very creation of the world one unit unlike another and precisely for the purpose of instituting individuality."- A Quote From Some Old Book



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