by James Careless
Government Video
The timing could not be worse. Digital video surveillance cameras and recorders are popping up everywhere, providing police with an unprecedented volume of video evidence.
But at the same time, falling tax revenues have clamped police departments in a budget crunch vise. As a result, many departments cannot afford professional-quality video forensics technology to properly handle that evidence, not to mention pay to train officers on how to use it.
Instead, money-poor police departments are trying to manage digital video evidence using available computer technology, free programs downloaded from the Internet, and whoever can be spared to run the system.