Comments on: Obama: let’s step up federal cop subsidies

By: Robert

Robert — Wed, 03 Dec 2014 19:55:22 +0000

A “go pro” camera will not work. You need something that can run all day, doesn’t need operator intervention, date and location stamps the video with GPS, and can easily be docked each night and the video stored and made easily indexed and searched. GoPros will only run an hour or so on their battery, have no GPS, etc.

I think the cars should have 360 degree cameras. That’s much more feasible, and allows for more robust technology.

By: Robert

Robert — Wed, 03 Dec 2014 19:52:43 +0000

I suspect a lot more disadvantaged people will be prosecuted if everything’s on video.

That said, I don’t think it’s an awful idea. I’d like to see police cruisers have 360 degree cams.

What would be an awful idea is calling it the “Mike Brown” law.

By: Jason Barney

Jason Barney — Tue, 02 Dec 2014 23:49:21 +0000

In Seattle, Washington it is difficult to comply without increasing costs or face penalties and attorney fees for failing to timely disclose body camera videos under the state public disclosure laws. Right now, it’s much easier to go without such devices–that protect officers and the public–than to create records which are potentially subject to public disclosure.

http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2025060346_spdcamerasxml.html

By: DEM

DEM — Tue, 02 Dec 2014 21:35:59 +0000

“The rest is going to the bureaucracy that buys, distributes and monitors them.”

Undoubtedly. It’s almost as if every crisis demands the “solution” of greasing the pockets of Democratic constituencies. Almost . . .

By: Jim Collins

Jim Collins — Tue, 02 Dec 2014 20:46:34 +0000

The cameras probably cost around $150. The rest is going to the bureaucracy that buys, distributes and monitors them. Every police department is going to have to hire people to monitor and store the videos, maintain the cameras and administer the system. Just think of all of the government union jobs that this is going to create.

By: Random

Random — Tue, 02 Dec 2014 19:12:49 +0000

Ironically, keeping bad cops on the force, over the long run, will intensify the adversarial relationship between many people and the police, reduce cooperation and put more police officers in difficult and at times dangerous positions.

By: DEM

DEM — Tue, 02 Dec 2014 19:02:22 +0000

“Obama is also separately calling for a $263m, three-year spending package to reform police departments across the country which, if approved by Congress, could lead to the purchase of an additional 50,000 lapel-mounted cameras to record police officers on the job.”

So, if I have the math right, that’s $526 per camera. By contrast, various Gopro cameras can be had on Amazon for between $300-$400. (Not to mention that many camera-equipped smartphones are FREE with a data plan at the major carriers.) And of course, buying anything in the kind of bulk referenced in the article would be expected to yield significant per-unit savings . . . unless the government is the buyer, apparently.

By: jim

jim — Tue, 02 Dec 2014 17:20:50 +0000

It is actually worse… the 260M is not required to be spent on body cameras, they can spend on anything they want.