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A dozen Seattle Police officers will begin wearing cameras in East Precinct

UPDATE: SPD is also showing off its new uniforms. New vehicles coming, too. Mayor Murray already made the gay mayor, new police uniforms joke in the press conference so you don't have to.

UPDATE: SPD is also showing off its new uniforms. New vehicles coming, too. Mayor Murray already made the gay mayor, new police uniforms joke in the press conference so you don’t have to.

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Barring any last minute technological issues, a dozen East Precinct cops will begin wearing the department’s batch of test body cameras this weekend in a two to three-month trial of the technology that could eventually lead to full-time deployment across Seattle.

A Seattle Police Department spokesperson confirmed Wednesday afternoon that Seattle’s trial of two competing products is scheduled to begin over the weekend in the precinct covering Capitol Hill and the Central District.

CHS wrote about the tests, the implications for improving policing, and privacy concerns here earlier this month. “Testing these two will allow us to assess how we can transfer and access the video if we store it in a (a) cloud-based solution (TASER/Evidence.com) and how we can handle the video if we (b) do this in-house similar to in-car video system (VIEVU),” a City of Seattle rep told CHS. The assessment of the program is slated to be wrapped up by fall of 2015 in time for making decisions for City Hall’s 2016 budget.

Capitol Hill-based design firm DEI Creative worked on the redesign of SPD's patch

Capitol Hill-based design firm DEI Creative worked on the redesign of SPD’s patch

SPD will first test the system provided by Taser and then the competing VIEVU system.

Rules around the use of the cameras during the test include verbal notification if you’re being recorded (you’ll also see a blinking red light) and adherence to state law requiring officers to have “two-party consent” to record audio on private property.

East Precinct and Capitol Hill have been a center point for SPD surveillance and privacy issues including the 2010 decision to remove cameras from Cal Anderson.

Friday, SPD is hosting a “hackathon” work session with developers and privacy advocates to help come up with technology solutions for public access to the videos. The department has also posted this list of “frequently asked questions” about the cameras. “Why are officers wearing cameras?” it asks. The answer provided: “The intent is to capture video of officer interactions. The footage can be used as evidence against suspects, and help monitor the behavior of officers.”

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alifealone
alifealone
9 years ago

Lends a new meaning to the phrase “Don’t shoot!” :-)

Phil Mocek
9 years ago

Why are the officers wearing cameras? Because we no longer trust their word. They have earned such great community distrust that the community demands that they record their on-the-job actions so we can better observe them.

I fear that there is no technological solution to the problems of police lying about their interaction with the public, of their partners, supervisors, internal auditors, and auditor review panels covering up for them, and for our elected representatives and executives letting it all slide.

Any word form O’Toole yet on termination, punishment, admonishment, identification, or even acknowledgement of the officers found by the U.S. Department of Justice to have violated the supreme law of the land once out of every five times they used force on those whom they are employed to serve and to protect?

CaphillTom
CaphillTom
9 years ago
Reply to  Phil Mocek

having cameras on the police can only help the situation.

Those occasions the police misbehave will now be recorded and the occasions when people pick fights with the police and cry brutality will also be recorded.

calhoun
9 years ago
Reply to  Phil Mocek

Phil, I am really surprised that you are not supportive of police cameras. They have great potential to protect the public from excessive use of force, and on the other side to protect SPD officers from made-up accusations. The cameras are not a panacea, but they will help.

The monitor for the DOJ’s investigation of the SPD (I believe his name is Merritt Bobb, not sure) has recently reported that the SPD is making significant progress in complying with the process…and that this is mainly because of the involvement by Chief O’Toole.

Phil Mocek
9 years ago
Reply to  calhoun

It’s more complicated than that. I am supportive of the use of body-worn cameras for police with adequate controls in place. I doubt our ability to achieve such control.

I am supportive of extreme scrutiny of on-the-job actions of people who are authorized to harm others on the job. If you’re employed to enforce public policy by force, we should be able to watch everything you do. Cameras watching you, GPS tracking, drug testing (yep, for people with badges and guns, I’m fine with it), heart monitoring, whatever. Extreme scrutiny.

However, I’m not crazy about the idea of 1300 police surveillance cameras roaming the city. They sold us license plate scanners as a way to find stolen cars and kidnappers, but they’re using it to amass a database of where everyone who drives a vehicle has been seen.

Without strong controls and effective enforcement mechanisms, these cameras will be used when police like, and not when they don’t. If you can disable a camera to use the restroom or take a personal phone call, you can disable it to beat someone in an alley. And we’re really going to trust them to keep records of their misconduct?

Besides all that, police kill unarmed people on camera, while they’re surrendering, even, and nothing comes of it. Until we fix that, it doesn’t matter much if we can watch their misconduct. In fact, we’re likely to simply become numb to it when regularly faced with it.

calhoun
9 years ago
Reply to  Phil Mocek

This issue must be somewhat of a dilemma for you, Phil. On the one hand you want better police accountability, which cameras will provide. On the other hand, you are a strong advocate for privacy, which cameras could potentially compromise.

Bob Schmoot
Bob Schmoot
9 years ago
Reply to  Phil Mocek

If anything, these cameras are a victory for the police not the criminals and conspiracy nuts. All these videos will show the day to day crap these cops put up with and what really happens. Sure it goes both ways in terms of showing dirty cops and citizens. However, the whole “F the police” mentality is based on biased, race baiters and garbage media reporting not facts. Once the videos begin showing the real picture, that whole nonsense narrative will either go right out the window or show those bitching and moaning are truly biased idiots.

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[…] a dozen East Precinct patrol officers prepare to begin testing SPD’s new body camera program next week (and get ready for new uniforms, a new Capitol Hill-designed patch, and new SUV patrol vehicles), […]

LeonK
LeonK
9 years ago

It’s a start.

Now, let’s have cameras on all cops, and inside as well as outside their cruisers and other vehicles, and also in all public areas of all precincts.

And have all of them accessible via the web by anyone at any time.

If they get to surveil us, then they should be surveilled first and more thoroughly.

Trust the people, do not trust the authorities.