If a picture is worth a thousand words, how much is a video worth if it helps back up a police officer in court, or even somebody who disputes a police officer’s account of events?
With an assist from a federal grant, local authorities hope to acquire more evidence through the use of new in-car cameras.
Dothan Police Maj. Steve Parrish said the Justice Assistant Grant (JAG) will help the department pay for eight new digital in-car cameras for its patrol cars.
Parrish said local authorities recently applied for the grant through the U.S. Department in the amount of $51,561. The grant was separated to include $41,242.80 for the City of Dothan and $10,312.20 for Houston County.
Parrish said the department has received a similar grant before, and will likely find out if it is approved by October.
“We have what they call the alpha cameras. About 35 percent of our rolling fleet has the old analog Alpha cam,” Parrish said. “It will bring our fleet up to about 75 percent digital.”
Parrish said 90 to 100 of the Dothan Police Department’s patrol vehicles are equipped with in-car cameras.
“The technology is quite remarkable. When the officer turns on his lights and siren, the camera backs up 30 seconds and starts filming,” Parrish said. “We have the capability of getting still photos from it.”
Parrish said the video cameras help provide police with “valuable” evidence.
“We made a case for impersonating a police officer based on the information we retrieved in the video camera in a police car,” Parrish said.
Dothan police arrested a city mechanic last month on a felony impersonating a police officer charge after a patrol officer reviewed his in-car video, during which he saw his vehicle traveling on Ross Clark Circle with its lights and sirens on. The officer reported that the video was not consistent with any recent emergency responses he’d made. Lamar Wilson’s felony charge remains pending in that case.
“We get complaints from time to time about officers being rude,” Parrish said. “We have the capability to pull up the video from our desktops and make a determination as to whether the officer acted improperly. It allows us to get back to the complainant more quickly.”
Parrish said each of the digital in-car cameras costs about $5,400.
Houston County Sheriff’s Capt. Antonio Gonzalez said the county’s $10,312.20 part of the grant will allow them to buy new in-car cameras. He said the department already has about 40 patrol vehicles with in-car cameras.
“About 80 percent of our marked fleet is equipped with cameras,” Gonzalez said. “As the years progress on we’ll attempt to keep filling the rest of them.”
Gonzalez called the in-car cameras a law enforcement tool that protects both the officer and the citizen.
“It’s like they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. We had a complaint recently. A lady said she did not run a stop. We played the video, and it shows she ran right through the stop sign,” Gonzalez said. “Everybody’s human, from deputies to citizens. The video helps us get to the truth, whether it’s from a citizen or law enforcement.”
more information in 12vcity.com.
With an assist from a federal grant, local authorities hope to acquire more evidence through the use of new in-car cameras.
Dothan Police Maj. Steve Parrish said the Justice Assistant Grant (JAG) will help the department pay for eight new digital in-car cameras for its patrol cars.
Parrish said local authorities recently applied for the grant through the U.S. Department in the amount of $51,561. The grant was separated to include $41,242.80 for the City of Dothan and $10,312.20 for Houston County.
Parrish said the department has received a similar grant before, and will likely find out if it is approved by October.
“We have what they call the alpha cameras. About 35 percent of our rolling fleet has the old analog Alpha cam,” Parrish said. “It will bring our fleet up to about 75 percent digital.”
Parrish said 90 to 100 of the Dothan Police Department’s patrol vehicles are equipped with in-car cameras.
“The technology is quite remarkable. When the officer turns on his lights and siren, the camera backs up 30 seconds and starts filming,” Parrish said. “We have the capability of getting still photos from it.”
Parrish said the video cameras help provide police with “valuable” evidence.
“We made a case for impersonating a police officer based on the information we retrieved in the video camera in a police car,” Parrish said.
Dothan police arrested a city mechanic last month on a felony impersonating a police officer charge after a patrol officer reviewed his in-car video, during which he saw his vehicle traveling on Ross Clark Circle with its lights and sirens on. The officer reported that the video was not consistent with any recent emergency responses he’d made. Lamar Wilson’s felony charge remains pending in that case.
“We get complaints from time to time about officers being rude,” Parrish said. “We have the capability to pull up the video from our desktops and make a determination as to whether the officer acted improperly. It allows us to get back to the complainant more quickly.”
Parrish said each of the digital in-car cameras costs about $5,400.
Houston County Sheriff’s Capt. Antonio Gonzalez said the county’s $10,312.20 part of the grant will allow them to buy new in-car cameras. He said the department already has about 40 patrol vehicles with in-car cameras.
“About 80 percent of our marked fleet is equipped with cameras,” Gonzalez said. “As the years progress on we’ll attempt to keep filling the rest of them.”
Gonzalez called the in-car cameras a law enforcement tool that protects both the officer and the citizen.
“It’s like they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. We had a complaint recently. A lady said she did not run a stop. We played the video, and it shows she ran right through the stop sign,” Gonzalez said. “Everybody’s human, from deputies to citizens. The video helps us get to the truth, whether it’s from a citizen or law enforcement.”
more information in 12vcity.com.