NCJ Number
207158
Journal
Law and Order Volume: 52 Issue: 7 Dated: July 2004 Pages: 118-121
Date Published
July 2004
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article describes the types of issues law enforcement agencies should consider when upgrading from analog to digital in-car mobile video systems.
Abstract
The digital age has ushered in a number of new digital products to replace analog mobile video. In order to select the right in-car digital video system, law enforcement agencies need to be aware of policy, procedures, laws, and the various equipment on the market. The goal of in-car mobile video systems should be considered; if the goal is to produce evidence for the prosecution of criminal offenders, agencies should examine both visual and audio equipment. Other considerations when considering new equipment are whether the system should be officer activated or automatic and whether a dual camera system is necessary. The author argues against the use of digital in-car video systems for the constant surveillance of police officers in their duties. Another benefit of digital system is the option of pre-event recording, which allows officers to capture events under a pre-set recording time that provides a continuous loop recording from 0 to 4 minutes. It is a feature that allows officers to catch offenses on digital video that would have been lost on an analog system. The choice of digital video and audio equipment should be driven by the policies of the department and by local, State, and Federal law.