I can see this being a gift and curse. No more police brutality can be arguing if cops are always recording their actions. What do you think? Hit the jump for the full story.
With body-worn video cameras only being used by little more than 6 percent of police nationwide, VIEVU is looking to make the technology more affordable and practical by storing video evidence in the cloud.
The service will launch on June 11. “For $10 a month per camera, users can store, share, review and access secure and encrypted video evidence 24 hours a day,†VIEVU said on Tuesday.
“Budgets are extremely tight for law enforcement agencies, and offering monthly cloud subscription reduces up-front costs, and allows precincts to ramp usage up or down as needed,†a company spokesman said in an email.
Body-worn cameras, about the size of a pager that clips onto a lapel or belt, are said to be more effective than in-car cameras, providing a “‘police perspective’ and factual accuracy into critical incidents while dismissing erroneous ‘eye-witness’ accounts, and offers the only foil against the staggering monetary lawsuits brought against law enforcement agencies nationwide,†VIEVU said.
The company cites a study sponsored by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (PDF), which finds that in 93 percent of police-misconduct cases where video is available result in the officer’s exoneration, and half of complaints are immediately withdrawn when video evidence is used. It also said 94 percent of citizens support the use of video.
VIEVU said its body-worn video cameras come with a secure video file management system that includes “several layers of security protection†to ensure chain of custody and evidence protection. “Officers cannot access much less edit the video; only department-assigned software administrators can do that. Additional security prevents unauthorized access if the camera is lost or stolen,†it said.
