Camera to Record Domestic Violence
The South Carolina Department of Public Safety’s Violence Against Women Project has given the West Columbia Police Department a grant to purchase a camera that an officer will wear to record evidence when investigating domestic violence cases.
The camera, which has a lens the size of a button, records everything the officer hears and sees, including approaching the scene, talking to victims, suspects, and witnesses, and transporting a suspect to jail. Police officials hope the camera will reduce the number of repeat incidences of domestic violence.
However, civil rights advocates such as the ACLU are concerned about the use of the camera. “It will be a documented resource of what has occurred, but what happens to the video after each incident, who has access to it and its storage are concerns,” said ACLU’s Joyce Cheeks.
The West Columbia Police Department currently has no policies for how the cameras and video will be used, though officials are currently in the process of considering rules for use and storage.
Abstracted by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC) from the The State (SC) ; 03/08/07; P. A1; Jackson, Shalama C.