Smile, Scofflaw, You’re Online
Starting the week of May 29, troopers with the Utah Highway Patrol will be able to use digital video cameras under a pilot program, said Capt. Bob Anderson. He said 37 of the highway patrol’s 480 cruisers have been outfitted with digital camera systems from L-3 Communications at a cost of $5,200 each. Federal grants totaling $110,000 helped to partially pay for the units, which also require a broadband wireless Internet “mesh network” to transmit images. In June, the highway patrol set up two antennas along Interstate 15 to provide wireless Internet access to troopers within a four-mile to six-mile range, Anderson said.
The new technology will soon allow dispatchers and managers to observe video feed from police cars in real time. “We have an officer down, we can turn a camera on remotely and see where the officer is,” Anderson explained.
The digital cameras will also facilitate training, help resolve liability issues, and provide evidence in drunk driving cases and car chases. Furthermore, the devices will eventually allow officers to distribute pictures of suspects to other troopers to enhance searches, said Anderson.
He added that the cameras can also be adjusted to continually record in 60-second to 90-second cycles, and images would be saved if a camera is activated by an officer, if an officer turns on a cruiser’s emergency lights, or if a cruiser is involved in a collision. Data from the video cameras is stored in a memory card and can be transferred to computer hard drives.
Abstracted by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center(NLECTC) from the Salt Lake Tribune (UT) (05/29/06); Rosetta, Lisa .
