By Steven Alford
Corpus Christi Caller-Times
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Corpus Christi police fight crime, help citizens in emergencies - and produce their own videos about it.
The department recently bought nearly $7,000 in production equipment to make training videos and public service announcements and archive department activities.
“I’m by no means a professional, but it’s something I really enjoy,” said Sgt. Travis Pace, who oversees department video production. “There’s a lot of projects on the way.”
Police bought a new Macintosh computer, editing software and three small high-definition cameras that can be mounted on weapons, helmets or patrol cars. All equipment was paid for by seized drug money.
Those purchases combined with what police already have - a green screen for special effects, a JVC high-definition video camera, a DVD label printer and another Macintosh computer for editing - make a setup rivaling some professional video companies.
Officials hope to save taxpayer money by producing videos inhouse instead of using a contractor, Police Chief Troy Riggs said. Police plan to show the videos on Corpus Christi On Demand, channel 831 on Time Warner Cable, as well as the city’s government access channel, channel 20 on Time Warner and Grande Communications.
Officers can produce short movies about crime trends, tips to protect homes and property, or advisories for weather and holiday issues, Riggs said. “We’re trying to be more open as a department, and with this, we can educate the public on a variety of topics,” he said.
The video equipment also will be used to brief officers about new ordinances or wanted subjects, also saving time and money, he said.
“We’re such a visual society now, I think some things would be better explained in a video than a memo,” Riggs said. “And anytime you pull an officer off the street for training, that’s less people we have to respond to calls.” For nearly a decade, Pace has been producing videos for the department, recording police academy training, graduation ceremonies and more.
But with the new equipment, he says the sky is the limit for the kind of videos they can make.
“It’s exciting because we have a lot more at our disposal,” Pace said while reviewing footage of a SWAT team shooting exercise. “And yeah,
the quality is pretty awesome.”
Copyright 2011 SCRIPPS Howard Publications