Every time an officer makes a stop, there is potential for something to go wrong. Sometimes the person being pulled over denies any charges, or worse, accuses the officer of wrongdoing. Having car-mounted video cameras in patrol cars and on motorcycles helps provide valuable evidence for later use in court because it’s hard for a criminal to deny their actions when they’re caught on tape.
Recorded incidents can also be used in training to constantly improve police procedures, as well as protect the public since officers are certain to be more thoughtful of others when they know their actions will be carefully scrutinized later. By the same token,videotape evidence is very useful for refuting false complaints made against officers by suspects in order to avoid tickets and prosecution. The patrol car-mounted video cameras cost approximately $4,000 per unit. With roughly 250 patrol cars in the fleet, outfitting all the cars will cost approximately $1,000,000 – although not all cars need to be equipped at once.
Recorded incidents can also be used in training to constantly improve police procedures, as well as protect the public since officers are certain to be more thoughtful of others when they know their actions will be carefully scrutinized later. By the same token,videotape evidence is very useful for refuting false complaints made against officers by suspects in order to avoid tickets and prosecution. The patrol car-mounted video cameras cost approximately $4,000 per unit. With roughly 250 patrol cars in the fleet, outfitting all the cars will cost approximately $1,000,000 – although not all cars need to be equipped at once.