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When body cams had bullets
Just as GoPros have given us a whole new perspective on everything from extreme sports to animal behavior, so have body-worn cameras offered new insights into policing. Law enforcement agencies around the world now use body cams to record the activities of officers in the field, though they've only become commonplace in the last few years. But the idea of documenting the volatile situations officers can find themselves in -- providing both evidence against offenders and holding police accountable for their actions -- is much, much older. The first attempts were very different from the body cams of today, however, as releasing the shutter required pulling the trigger of the gun the camera was attached to.
Felony charges dropped after officer admits faking body cam video
Police body-cam footage is supposed to be an objective account of what happens during a traffic stop or whatever's taking place when an officer's device is activated. The emphasis is on the "supposed to be." Recently, a Colorado case was dismissed after it was discovered that police officer Seth Jensen allegedly recreated the search of Joseph Cajar's vehicle after his November 2016 arrest, according to local publication The Pueblo Chieftain.
UK schools trial police-style body cameras for teachers
To combat disorderly students, two secondary schools in the UK have started trialling staff-worn body cameras. Teachers will use the equipment to record specific incidents, such as a "perceived threat to a member of staff or pupil," according to Tom Ellis, a lecturer at the University of Portsmouth and a former Home Office researcher. The identity of the schools is, for now, a mystery, to avoid unwanted interference during the trial. The cameras won't be recording at all times either -- similar to the police, it will be up to teachers to decide when to hit the record button. "It's not like a surveillance camera," Ellis stressed.
Feds investigate police body cam footage in New Mexico
The US Department of Justice has launched a criminal investigation into claims that the Albuquerque Police Department edited and deleted footage from officers' body cameras in an effort to remove scenes that might damage the department's reputation. New Mexico In Depth reports federal officials have received "several requests" for a criminal investigation, according to a spokesperson for the US Attorney's Office in Albuquerque.
Seattle PD pushes for transparency by hiring a coder/critic
Remember Tim Clemans, the formerly anonymous programmer who requested basically all of the Seattle Police Department's bodycam footage and emails? His data petitioning ultimately led to the launch of a YouTube channel that puts that on-the-go police video front and center, and now he's getting ready to actually start working for the fuzz. It's only on a trial basis for now -- think three months or so -- and he'll be helping the police automatically redact not just video footage, but documents and police reports in a bid to get them disclosed more readily.
