Updated Jul 8, 2010 - 11:29 am
Seattle considering body cams for police
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KIRO Radio
Seattle police could become walking videographers with tiny cameras attached to their bodies.
At least two companies are pitching their wearable cameras. Seattle's Vievu manufactures a camera worn on the chest. TASER International is marketing its head-mounted mini-camera.
Recently, video has captured Seattle police in an ugly light. One officer is seen bringing his boot down on a suspect while shouting a racial slur. Later, cell phone video captured a Seattle cop punching a teenage girl in the face.
Tom Smith, with TASER International, told a special meeting Wednesday of the Seattle City Council's Energy, and Technology and Civil Rights Committee that some cops are skeptical of the body cams at first.
"We have seen some pushback in the beginning until officers understand how the systems work. The initial big brother thoughts, the privacy concerns, is everybody going to be watching everything I do now?"
But Smith says a police camera can level the playing field when the cops are captured on amateur video and featured on the nightly news. He says events in those cases aren't shown from the officer's perspective. "What you don't see if what led up to that five second clip."
Smith says with a camera on their body, "officers can present their side of how force is being done."
Former Seattle police officer Steve Ward is marketing the body cam made by Vievu. A police chief's group claims wearable cameras save money and protect cops against false allegations.
Rich O'Neill, head of the Seattle police union is not necessarily against wearable cameras for cops, but he has some concerns. He says people like to come up and talk to officers, give them tips, especially youth. He wonders if people would be less likely to approach officers if they knew they were on film.
"Would there be a chilling effect on that if someone knew every time you walk up to a police officer, you're on candid camera?" O'Neill said.
That's why Ward's company is marketing what he considers a less intimidating body cam worn on the chest, not the head. He says cops are "already accused of being too militaristic, too aggressive looking. Putting a camera on a head, all that's going to do is make an officer look more 'Robocopish,' more aggressive and all that's going to do is drive a wedge there."
Smith, with Taser International, sells a head-mounted camera with a simple on-off switch he claims will reduce complaints against officers by half. That, he says, should win over skeptical officers. "Even though you may see that resistance up front, once the guys are out there and using it, we've seen that resistance go away because they see the value of protecting the officers."
Smith claims the camera systems also improve police efficiency, and reduce the hours cops spend testifying in court. He says it has the potential to save millions of dollars.
Before city leaders buy into the 'body cams,' they want to verify the savings, poll rank and file cops, and find out if you and I like the idea of talking to a cop, and to a camera.
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