NCJ Number
151790
Journal
Police: The Law Enforcement Magazine Volume: 18 Issue: 8 Dated: (August 1994) Pages: 48-52
Date Published
1994
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This article describes the equipment and uses of video cameras in police patrol cars.
Abstract
Although the initial use for video cameras in patrol cars was to document traffic stops, many police departments have used them in other ways, such as to record driver sobriety tests, record out-of-car incidents with removable cameras, and document a variety of officer-citizen interactions. Videotape documentation of police encounters with citizens has not only given police an effective incentive to act professionally, but has also discouraged citizens from making false accusations of police misconduct. Also, when citizens are informed that their interaction with the police is being videotaped, they are more likely to respond appropriately to police requests and commands. Another use of videotape documentation is as a training tool that shows correct and incorrect ways to handle various police duties. The article describes the performance of the Kustom Signals installation of an Eyewitness video system and dual-antenna HAWK radar in a Ford Mustang police car. The test of this equipment involved a year on the road that consisted of 15,000 miles of service that included time spent in the heat of the Mojave Desert. The performance was excellent.