LOS ANGELES (YBH.ME) – San Jose knows the way. . . to get it all on camera. 18 helmet cameras are being put into use in San Jose in a test program aimed at reducing escalating violence in arrests and general public interactions. The department has been under fire for a number of alleged abuses of force. Patrol officers in the experiment will be turning on the cameras every time they talk with anyone. The cameras look a lot like bluetooth earpieces, and are attached via headband. A mini computer rides on the officer’s belt. Every shift will end with a data download.
San Jose Cop Sports Real Time Camera Recording Gear
Arizona-based, publicly traded, Taser International is footing the initial cost for the experiment. The gear rings up at $1,700 per cop, plus a $99 per monthly fee per officer. That’s a heavy outlay if every officer has the equipment, but lawsuit payouts for wrongful death, incarceration or injury aren’t cheap either.
“The AXON project is unfortunately a positive thing right now because the level of distrust is so high,” said Raj Jayadev, head of a San Jose community organization. San Jose and the surrounding Santa Clara valley is a melting pot of Asian (especially Vietnamese), Latino, and Asian Indian populations, sustained by the odd economic mix of high tech and agribusiness. Activists point to Department of Justice statistics which show that, for example, in a city where Latinos account for roughly 30 percent of the population, they represented 57 percent of the public intoxication arrests in 2007. Charges of resisting arrest are also very high in the city.
The so-called “Bobbie Cam” has been in selective use in the United Kingdom since 2007, where it is claimed that violent crime has been reduced by 8 per cent, and incidents of excessive officer force are at zero. They are particularly used in answering domestic violence calls.
The American Civil Liberties Union has come out strongly against police cameras, seeing them as a violation of the Fourth Amendment right to privacy, but courts have held that citizens have little expectation of privacy in public spaces. Disclosure that a citizen is being recorded is required of all body camera-wearing officers.
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Laura spent years as a Hollywood story analyst, did a big 180, and is now an entrepreneur focused on web marketing and analytics. She's also a mom of one.Laura Glendinning article archive.
