By Chris De Benedetti
Contra Costa Times
ALAMEDA, Calif. — Motorists who act recklessly behind the wheel this final holiday weekend will risk receiving something nearly as embarrassing as a night behind bars: having their arrest captured on video.
That will be especially true on county roads through Sunday, as Alameda County Sheriff’s Office deputies are using a new tool for catching drunken drivers: a small video camera, clipped to five deputies’ uniforms, that will be turned on during field-sobriety tests.
The cameras, listed online at a price of nearly $900 each, were donated to the Sheriff’s Office by VIEVU, the device’s Seattle-based manufacturer.
They are designed to be “hands-free” — light enough to clip on a uniform or belt. Roughly the same size as a pager or an iPhone — 2.5 inches long, and 1.5 inches wide — they’re small enough not to interfere with an officer’s other duties, police said.
Portable and battery-run, the cameras start recording audio-video footage with the push of a button, and it’s downloadable onto a computer or a CD.
“They’re worth their weight in gold, I like them a lot,” said Sgt. Tom Rodrigues, of the sheriff’s DUI unit. “When a guy says he wasn’t drunk, but we’ve got video of him falling down drunk, well, it’s hard to dispute the video.”
Since Dec. 17, the sheriff’s office has staffed two deputies in each of the seven patrol cars that are patrolling from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. every night, police said. So far, sheriff’s deputies have made more than 200 DUI arrests in Alameda County, Nelson said.
“Drivers should be smart and careful because there is a lot of law enforcement out this time of year,” he said. “It’s much cheaper to get someone else to drive or to take a cab or public transit.”
Just two other police agencies in the greater Hayward and Tri-City areas use the cameras.
Union City requires all of its 75 sworn officers to use the VIEVU cameras, Sgt. Steve Mendez said. “I’m wearing one right now,” he said.
Newark also employs a few of the personal recording devices that can be used for traffic stops, Cmdr. Bob Douglas said.
Meanwhile, the sheriff’s office nightly DUI patrols will continue until Sunday morning, during which time, deputies will use the video cameras.
“It really helps when people can see exactly what the driver’s intoxication level was,” Nelson said. “It helps advance our case and, from the sheriff’s staff to the district attorney to the judge and juries, it’s good for everyone to see that.”
“We’ve found the camera to be a really useful tool. They say a picture says a 1,000 words.
“Well, a video probably says 5,000 words.”
Copyright 2010 Contra Costa Newspapers