By Corey Jones
Topeka Capital-Journal
TOPEKA, Kan. — An interaction between a police officer and citizen becomes heated and escalates as the man denies wrongdoing, though the officer clearly caught him in the act.
The citizen, noticing what appears to be a camera attached to sunglasses the officer is wearing, inquires of the officer if that is indeed what the object is. The officer confirms this, and the man visibly thinks twice before continuing to ratchet up the situation and calms down.
Fourteen Topeka police officers have been testing a point-of-view on-person camera system developed by TASER International. Twelve first generation units have been loaned to the department, as well as two of the new second-generation systems.
The above example is just one of countless situations in which police say the unbiased digital eye pays dividends in gathering evidence and protecting the officer from a person’s words or actions, and vice versa.
“I’m just tickled to death with it,” said Steve Roth, an officer of the Topeka Police Department for 19 years.
Roth sports the AXON Flex, the second generation of the cameras designed by TASER for law enforcement use. The camera fastens securely to such things as glasses, helmets, ears and shirt collars. A power pack attaches to an officer’s clothing and is connected to the camera by a single thin black wire. There also is an app that allows for live viewing of what the camera is capturing and immediate playback on a smartphone via bluetooth.
The central function of the lightweight device is to capture audio and video recordings evidentiary in nature from the perspective of the officer wearing it. However, TASER touts secondary benefits that include reducing the number of false complaints against officers and enhancing public trust.
Capt. Brian Desch said what is interesting to him is whether people will modify their behavior when they know they are being recorded. He thinks they will.
“Our hope is that this will help in other ways than just collecting evidence,” Desch said.
Wearing a Flex hasn’t changed how Roth goes about his job as a motorcycle officer, he said, except that he attempts to capture as much as he can on video by making an effort to strategically direct the camera’s view. He attaches the camera to the side of his motorcycle helmet. The lens captures violations as he sees them, such as traffic infractions, and helps aid in probable cause situations.
“I love having more proof than just my word,” Roth said. “I love that it catches where ever my eyes go.”
The camera’s unblinking eye isn’t a way for only police to be protected from the public. It works both ways, Roth said.
“It helps me to keep my emotions in check and be more professional,” he said.
According to information provided by TASER International, U.S. law enforcement spends about $2 billion per year in settlements to resolve claims.
“I think to protect the city and department, every officer should have one,” Roth said.
But that isn’t so simple. Desch, who is the executive officer to the chief of police, said each unit could run about $1,500 and there isn’t money in the 2012 budget for any Flexes. Desch said the department has filed for a $50,000 grant of which most, but not all, would go toward buying some cameras.
“We’ve gotten very positive feedback from the officers who have been testing them,” Desch said.
The Wichita Police Department also is trying out the technology. While Topeka has 14 units on an indefinite trial period, Desch said the department would like to begin putting in a line-item budget request for an allotment of cameras as early as 2013. Acquiring one for every officer all at once isn’t practical, he said, so subsequent budgets also would include requests for more.
“The more of these we can get out there the better,” Desch said.
A crucial feature the Flexes boast is full shift video buffering. When the unit is activated the video and audio recordings will include what happened the previous 30 seconds from activation. So, Roth explained, if he were to see an infraction or suspicious activity, the initial act and events leading up to it would be recorded with the swift push of a button. Roth points out that bystanders with their camera phones typically don’t begin filming until an altercation escalates or becomes physical, thus not accurately reflecting the situation.
Another important feature is what TASER terms as Retina Low-Light. The camera’s light sensitivity allows each pixel to capture light comparable to the human eye. In other words, the camera is designed to record no better than what the human eye sees.
Roth provided a pretend scenario of how that is advantageous. If he were to come across a suspicious man in a dark alley, and that man brandishes something that resembles a gun, Roth likely would fire his own weapon in fear of his life. If it turns out the man was holding something like a hair dryer, and the video that goes to court shows the situation in much more defined detail than Roth ever could have seen with his own eyes, the jury will wonder what he was thinking shooting a man who obviously on tape was wielding only a hair dryer. Though Roth would have no idea the unknown object wasn’t a gun.
The video also comes in handy for report writing to help ensure accuracy and as a training tool for newer officers.
“It’s a total asset,” Roth said.
Desch said the department already has guidelines and protocol in place for in-car video, which now is adhered to for the on-officer footage. All video footage is kept for 90 days before dumping it, unless it is evidence for the courts, in which case it is stored indefinitely. Officers aren’t required to tell people they are being recorded but are more than open about it when asked. Officers may voluntarily offer up the fact they are recording as a way to diffuse a situation.
Desch said law enforcement in general has been moving in the direction of cameras on officers. He pointed to the popularity of procedural cop shows on television, which he said makes people want to see more of how their local law enforcement operates.
“Everyone wants to see it on video now, because it’s pretty much irrefutable,” Desch said.
Copyright 2012 The Topeka Capital-Journal