San Jose Cops Get Head Cameras

[exfileme]

Several San Jose cops are now wearing head-mounted cameras.

San Jose Cops Get Head Cameras : Read more

 

[sunflier]

...record of what actually happens during the encounter.

Hope there are no encounters while going to the bathroom.

 

[sliem]

^ lol.

 

[scorc25]

does this remind anyone of when the Master Chief first encounters the Flood?

 

[Guest]

First they get dashboard Cameras
Next they get cameras attached to their guns
Now they have to wear cameras attached to their heads.

What's next?

Implanting BioCameras, computer chips and communication equipment?

It looks like our Police could very well be on their way to becoming BORG.

 

[blackbeastofaaaaagh]

I am ALL for this idea. After visiting several police officer forums it never ceases to amaze me how the police community expresses sympathy for an officer caught doing something inappropriate by a citizen's camera. Such camera toting individuals are equated with being "terrorists" and have supposedly taken the "joy out of being a police officer".

My own dashboard mounted camera (and the audio recordings it made of arrogant police officers) has saved me twice from bogus tickets and I recommend (at least in the state of NJ), everyone should have one. Of course, both times the prosecutors ignored the evidence when I offered to show it and threatened "either take what I'm offering or I'll take you to court and you will be facing the judge." Of course, both times the judge was really pissed that I did not pay big bucks to hire a defence attorney and was cutting into the town's profit margin by having a trial. The prosecutor certainly tried every legal maneuver to claim that there was "no discovery" and to have the recording thrown out, so it pays to do your paper work and save the return receipts for registered mail. In both cases the judge decided to look at the evidence in his own chambers to avoid making it obvious that the police officer gave blatantly false testimony (prosecuters always work on the assumption that average citizens are unprepared and the judge will always side with them).

However I'm sure that many police officers would object to head mounted cameras, saying it's an "invasion of privacy". On the other hand, if the police officer screws up or acts inappropriately, I'm certain that his head-camera would, more often than not, have been found to be "malfunctioning" or the recording "accidentally misplaced" for that particular incident.

 

[bydesign]

This will hurt them, which is good. The need to be shown that they are not above the law, as most feel they are.

 

[timbo]

[citation][nom]blackbeastofaaaaagh[/nom]I am ALL for this idea. After visiting several police officer forums it never ceases to amaze me how the police community expresses sympathy for an officer caught doing something inappropriate by a citizen's camera. Such camera toting individuals are equated with being "terrorists" and have supposedly taken the "joy out of being a police officer".My own dashboard mounted camera (and the audio recordings it made of arrogant police officers) has saved me twice from bogus tickets and I recommend (at least in the state of NJ), everyone should have one. Of course, both times the prosecutors ignored the evidence when I offered to show it and threatened "either take what I'm offering or I'll take you to court and you will be facing the judge." Of course, both times the judge was really pissed that I did not pay big bucks to hire a defence attorney and was cutting into the town's profit margin by having a trial. The prosecutor certainly tried every legal maneuver to claim that there was "no discovery" and to have the recording thrown out, so it pays to do your paper work and save the return receipts for registered mail. In both cases the judge decided to look at the evidence in his own chambers to avoid making it obvious that the police officer gave blatantly false testimony (prosecuters always work on the assumption that average citizens are unprepared and the judge will always side with them).However I'm sure that many police officers would object to head mounted cameras, saying it's an "invasion of privacy". On the other hand, if the police officer screws up or acts inappropriately, I'm certain that his head-camera would, more often than not, have been found to be "malfunctioning" or the recording "accidentally misplaced" for that particular incident.[/citation]

The 2 times I've been issued traffic citations, all I had to do was show up to court on 2 or 3 occasions: one for entering a plea, the second time ot reject the prosecutors offer, & the 3rd for a trial. The officers never showed up for the court date & it was dismissed with prejudice.

 

[grieve]

This will make for great donut commercials!

Seriously though... Police are here to protect us and they do a job many wouldn't consider doing and they do it with little compensation.
I think this is too far, i wouldn't want a camera on my head all day @ work, it's just wrong... even if it would be great for the public.

Who would want to b a cop with this?

 

[thejerk]

Having lived in the Silicon Valley... the San Jose police aren't exactly a hotbed for police violence. Here, in Chicago, however... things got really out of control for a long time, and now the police have had their authorities so castrated that they are effectively useless at responding or preventing our crime here, any longer. I am not a police officer, but I have several friends who are, and it's not an easy job. I'd be a jerk, too, if most of the people I interacted with, on a daily basis, were degenerates, too.

 

[mrecio]

[citation][nom]grieve[/nom] I think this is too far, i wouldn't want a camera on my head all day @ work, it's just wrong... even if it would be great for the public. Who would want to b a cop with this?[/citation]

Legit cops with nothing to hide? after all its suppose to protect the cops from being wrongfully prosecuted based on a citizen's camera/point of view.I think this is a great way to keep the cops honest as well as the citizens that are anti-police(most are for good reason though)

 

[Guest]

I don't see cameras on their persona as an invasion of privacy. While they are at work they are public officials and as such do not get the same privacy rights as normal citizens. Once in a public place most privacy rights fall off anyway. I personally do not agree, but is perfectly fine for me to be on the sidewalk or street in front of your house taking pictures of you inside your house.

As a side note, many people often claim that being a cop, paramedic, fireman, soldier, politician, ... are deserving of special favors, but I disagree. I agree all of those jobs are deserving of respect for what they do for society, but there are many others as well. What about the teacher, lineman, trash-man, water/sewer, farmer, fisherman, etc. They also do our society a great service but are always ignored. In most countries including the US we are not FORCED to do a job, the people that do them do so at their own FREE will. Now if the US had conscription or equivalent for certain jobs, and someone was forced to do something against their will I would try to help them to my utmost. For someone that chose that option ... nothing.

 

[Shadow703793]

With all the cr@p the gov't are doing to keep tabs on citizens (read: Patriot Act and the likes), why should we not do this to police? After all, they are "citizens" correct?

 

[ryanjm]

Anyone else notice the price?!? $5,700 for 3-year contract PER officer!

My vado HD is the size of a pack of cards and does 8 hours of VGA resolution video. It costs $200.

I don't see how the price is justified when you could take off-the-shelf cameras and with a little creativity, get the same thing for a fraction of the price.

 

[kravmaga]

[citation][nom]ryanjm[/nom]Anyone else notice the price?!? $5,700 for 3-year contract PER officer!My vado HD is the size of a pack of cards and does 8 hours of VGA resolution video. It costs $200.I don't see how the price is justified when you could take off-the-shelf cameras and with a little creativity, get the same thing for a fraction of the price.[/citation]

Because the cops don't want to have to deal with the bs of hacking together under-engineered gear that could fail in most embarrassing ways. You aren't paying for the sum of the parts, you're paying for the engineers' all-nighter at the lab figuring out failure scenarios so you won't ever see it. Like all other non-tech organizations, they will simply throw money at a problem and at the same time alleviate the problem of responsibility in case something goes wrong.

Go ask any boss whether he'd rather give you 500 bucks to take a chance at creating a solution or mail 5000 bucks to some faceless company to buy an existing solution that's tested.
In case shit hits the fan and it turns out it wasn't such a genius idea after all, the decision maker can simply blame the manufacturer instead of facing the music for not being rigorous enough.

Besides, this hardly looks like an ipod camera hooked to a fanny pack battery; this looks like an embedded solution that includes a camera, radio com equipment, a pack computer complete with proprietary software system and cellular transmitter, all of that made to grunt-proof mil-spec. Good luck trying to make that yourself for $5,700. Not even counting the electrical engineering R&D, testing, the cost of the parts and the cellular service, just hiring one software dev alone would cost you more than that.
I'm pretty neutral on whether this stuff will be worth a damn but the price of six grands per 3 years is a bargain.

 

[loomis86]

Depends on the contract as to whether or not the price is a bargain. Are repairs and troubleshooting free? Free replacements? What is a service contract like on equipment like this anyway?

 

[obsidian86]

2000 a space oddesy theme should be playing in the background while wearing this

 

[seriousazn]

[citation][nom]hutchkc[/nom]I don't see cameras on their persona as an invasion of privacy. While they are at work they are public officials and as such do not get the same privacy rights as normal citizens. Once in a public place most privacy rights fall off anyway. I personally do not agree, but is perfectly fine for me to be on the sidewalk or street in front of your house taking pictures of you inside your house.As a side note, many people often claim that being a cop, paramedic, fireman, soldier, politician, ... are deserving of special favors, but I disagree. I agree all of those jobs are deserving of respect for what they do for society, but there are many others as well. What about the teacher, lineman, trash-man, water/sewer, farmer, fisherman, etc. They also do our society a great service but are always ignored. In most countries including the US we are not FORCED to do a job, the people that do them do so at their own FREE will. Now if the US had conscription or equivalent for certain jobs, and someone was forced to do something against their will I would try to help them to my utmost. For someone that chose that option ... nothing.[/citation]
I totally agree...the people that will and are complaining about these are probably the same ones that complain about the naked scanners and about their privacy and such, well if you've got nothing to hide...what's there to fear, right?!

 

[skalagon]

This is a great idea, Im not sure though that they even have the car dash cameras in Ireland yet, but then again we don't really have much of a problem with crime and police brutality.

 

[v12v12]

People whining about privacy and "if ya ain't got nothin to hide; lmfao! SERFS/Plebs/Naves; however you take your oppression. If you want someone watching you, filming you, scrutinizing your every move; then great, move your asses to N. Korea or China, but know this; REAL, TRUE patriots (look that up if ya don't know the definition) want AMERICA back to the way it ought to be—FREE!

Little by little your rights are being purposely eroded away and all the while you continue to claim, "well sh!t, boy... I ain't doin nothin wrong, so what I got to worry bout?" Listen rednecks on keyboards; you have little to no relevant knowledge about WHY the constitution was formed, thus your speech and diatribes are muddling and moot... MOVE somewhere else if you want to live in an oppressed society, where the RICH can buy their way through, around and under laws that the rest of *us* (serfs) have to abide by.

Some of you just don't get it at all... FREEDOM and the FREE pursuit towards it, should be unbridled and unregulated. Freedom is pure and beneficial for all. The only people that fear freedom are the oppressors who PROFIT from the supposedly wonderful 9-5 (more like 50hrs/wk) working system: The system that continues to make THEM rich and keep you all fighting amongst yourselves. My friends from around the world laugh and scoff at working 40hrs/8hrs per day. Their nation, lifestyle and over all society ranks HIGHER than the much beloved but often overrated "greatest nation in the world." BS, the USA is a wonderful place for the well-heeled and the able. Most of you live no better than any other 1st and 2nd world nation(s). Study some history before you make a mockery of yourselves, while spewing sophomoric ideals programmed into you by your masters on the television you watch for hours and hours a day... Zombified and conned into buying frivolous junk just to impress your peers and neighbors Vs reading books, talking to your neighbors, exercising your DUTY to defend the constitution and the freedoms it affords us all...

Just watch, naves, soon you'll be bellowing about "wtf wtf, why's the military on the street. What's up with these check points and folks illegally searching me? blah blah" You won’t be laughing and snickering when you hear that your Mommy or Daddy’s surgery request was DENIED b/c under new legislation; “old” folks are expendable and not worth investing the time and money into to keeping them functioning healthily… Laugh it up kids, this will be your future haha!