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U.S. NEWS Monday 16 october 2017

Body cameras, now gun cameras? Some police trying them out

By DAVE COLLINS use body cameras. have to hold both a gun only a few of their clients. the officers.”
Associated Press “One thing about the gun and a flashlight. There doesn’t appear to The NAACP and the Ameri-
A small number of police camera is you can actually Other departments plan- be any gun camera foot- can Civil Liberties Union
departments are showing both say gun cameras
interest in a new type of should not be used instead
video camera that can be of body cameras.
mounted directly on offi- “I think there’s a lot of con-
cers’ guns, saying it may of- text you’re going to be miss-
fer a better view of officer- ing with the gun-mounted
involved shootings than cameras,” said Ngozi Ndu-
body cameras. Some law lue, senior director of crimi-
enforcement officials and nal justice programs at the
civil rights groups are skep- NAACP.
tical. “I think we need to focus
Among the cons, they more on the policies for im-
point out, is that gun cam- plementing body cameras
eras start recording only af- and making sure officers
ter weapons are removed are turning on their body
from holsters and won’t cameras.”
capture what led to officers There have been several
drawing their guns, or other instances of officers’ body
interactions with the public. cameras not being turned
They also say they should on or malfunctioning in
be used only as a comple- high-profile shooting cases,
ment to body cameras. including the fatal shooting
Besides the better view, of an Australian woman by
supporters say the pros in- Minneapolis police in July,
clude lower video storage Ndulue said.
costs because gun cam- In this Aug. 14 2017 photo provided by Centinel Solutions, a model displays a camera mounted Justine Damond, who had
eras record much less often below the barrel of a handgun in West Palm Beach, Fla. Some police departments are considering called 911 for help, was shot
than body cameras, and a putting cameras on officers’ guns, saying they would give a better, unobstructed view of police- by one of two responding
involved shootings and save money on video storage costs compared with body cameras.
feature in some models that (Gavin Smith/Centinel Solutions via AP) officers whose body cam-
instantly alerts dispatchers eras that were not switched
and nearby police via wifi see what’s going on,” Ko- ning to test gun cameras age of a police shooting on. A prosecutor is consid-
and Bluetooth when of- vacsev said. “You actually include the West Hennepin yet because police agen- ering charges, and body
ficers draw their weapons get to see the viewpoint Public Safety Department, cies have not formally ap- camera footage would
and may need help. of the officer where the which serves Maple Plain proved use of the cameras have been key in determin-
Officers’ arms, walls and weapon is pointed.” and Independence, Min- and no shootings hap- ing any wrongdoing.
other objects can get in Gun-mounted cameras nesota, about 20 miles west pened during trials. “There’s no guarantee that
the way of body cameras, have been around for of Minneapolis, and police Officials at larger police de- the gun cameras are go-
as they did in the New York years, mostly for sport in Williams, Arizona, about partments, including New ing to be better than other
City Police Department’s shooting enthusiasts, but 30 miles west of Flagstaff, York and Los Angeles, said cameras,” said Jay Stan-
fatal shooting of Miguel have not caught on with according to manufactur- they have no plans to use ley, a senior policy analyst
Richards last month. Of- law enforcement. Some ers. gun cameras. for the ACLU. “If there was
ficers’ body cameras also police departments are Executives at two compa- “If you put a camera on a a shooting, I would want
may not be turned on, gun using cameras mounted nies that make gun camer- gun, it’s only going to work more video than just the
camera proponents say. on their stun guns that ac- as, Viridian Weapon Tech- when you pull your gun,” gun camera video.”
“It’s kind of cutting-edge tivate when the safety nologies in Minneapolis and said Deputy Chief Timothy In the New York police
technology now,” said switches are turned off.The Centinel Solutions in Palm Trainor of the NYPD, which shooting Sept. 6, officers’
Assistant Chief Michael cameras cost around $500, Beach, Florida, said that is expanding its use of body body cameras showed the
Kovacsev, of the St. Pe- about the same as some several departments have cameras. “We’re more tense buildup to the killing
tersburg, Florida, Police body cameras, and mount tested or plan to test their concerned about captur- but did not capture a clear
Department, which tested under the gun barrel. Some devices, and that many ing (all) interactions be- picture of the moment
gun cameras this year and also have high-powered more have expressed inter- tween the community that when officers opened fire
is also deciding whether to lights so officers do not est. But they would identify we are tasked to serve and on Richards.q