http://news.yahoo.com/police-body-camera...07101.html

Quote:The rush to outfit police officers with body cameras after last summer's unrest in Ferguson, Missouri, threatens to saddle local governments with steep costs for managing the volumes of footage they must keep for months or even years, according to contracts, invoices and company data reviewed by The Associated Press.

The storage expenses — running into the millions of dollars in some cities — often go overlooked in the debates over using cameras as a way to hold officers accountable and to improve community relations.

Yet those costs can have a significant effect on city and county budgets, and in some cases may force police chiefs to choose between paying officers on the street or paying yearly video storage fees.

Quote:In some cities, the AP found that the small cameras worn by beat cops on their uniforms or glasses were obtained at deep discounts when departments inked data-management deals that are far more lucrative over the long run for device manufacturers. Those plans run between $20 and $100 per officer per month, depending on the volume generated.

Demand for the devices is booming after the controversy in Ferguson and would accelerate further if Congress adopts President Barack Obama's request for $75 million to help communities buy 50,000 more body cameras.

Already, cities are wrestling with whether they can afford to equip all their officers and how often the cameras should be turned off to reduce the video recorded.

With an average officer uploading several videos per shift, it doesn't take long for data — and the associated expense_to add up.

"It's enormous," said Police Chief Gordon Ramsay of Duluth, Minnesota, where the city's 110 officer-worn cameras are generating 8,000 to 10,000 videos per month that are kept for at least 30 days and in many cases longer. "The more you capture, the more you have to store, which means higher costs."

Quote:Duluth initially received 84 cameras and charging bays for less than $5,000 from camera maker Taser International, but its three-year contract and licensing agreement for data storage cost about $78,000.

Other cities are just beginning to struggle with how to pay for body cameras:

— In Wichita, Kansas, the police department has proposed selling a helicopter used to search for suspects in order to fund its body-camera program for hundreds of officers. The cost is estimated at $6.4 million over a decade and includes two employees to manage the program.

— In Berkeley, California, the city manager warned in a memo in January of likely costs of at least $45,000 a year for storing data from 150 cameras and assigning one or two employees. In addition, officers might spend 30 minutes per shift handling the video — the equivalent annual time of five full-time officers, the memo said. The City Council is scheduled to debate the issue next week.

"In our community, that alone would be about $1 million," City Council member Laurie Capitelli told AP, referring to the officers' time. "I want to look at the costs and consider the trade-offs."

— San Diego's five-year contract with Taser for 1,000 cameras would cost $267,000 for the devices — but another $3.6 million for storage contracts, software licenses, maintenance, warranties and related equipment. City officials can scale back the deal if funding dries up.

Quote:Some officials are warning the ongoing costs could mean tax hikes or service cuts later.

"Everybody is screaming, 'We need body cameras.' But nobody is saying, where is the money coming from? What are you going to do with all the data? Who is going to manage it?" said Sgt. Jason Halifax of the Des Moines Police Department, which is struggling to identify a funding source for $300,000 to start a program. "Are we going to cut personnel? Are we going to increase taxes?"

It's a total waste of money and effort to solve a problem that can more easily be fixed.

(02-07-2015 11:27 PM)HeartOfDixie Wrote:  It's a total waste of money and effort to solve a problem that can more easily be fixed.

Go on?

Even if all the cops have cameras it will come down to when they actually turn the cameras on. I mean, they can't be on all the time. Just the time involved in reviewing footage will be very very expensive.

When the police lights go on the camera goes on. You have a central dispatch station that can flip on any officers camera at any time. You take it out of the officers hands. If he grabs his gun you have a sensor on the butt of the gun that triggers the camera.

Just spit ballin here.

(02-08-2015 07:58 AM)Machiavelli Wrote:  When the police lights go on the camera goes on. You have a central dispatch station that can flip on any officers camera at any time. You take it out of the officers hands. If he grabs his gun you have a sensor on the butt of the gun that triggers the camera.

Just spit ballin here.

That's going to be even more expensive. It's going to come down to the cops turning on the cameras themselves.

(02-08-2015 08:33 AM)VA49er Wrote:  

(02-08-2015 07:58 AM)Machiavelli Wrote:  When the police lights go on the camera goes on. You have a central dispatch station that can flip on any officers camera at any time. You take it out of the officers hands. If he grabs his gun you have a sensor on the butt of the gun that triggers the camera.

Just spit ballin here.

That's going to be even more expensive. It's going to come down to the cops turning on the cameras themselves.

So what? No one is claiming it's some magical cure all to prevent anything bad from happening in a police/citizen encounter. It's just a step to help, along with helping police officers themselves limit the large amounts of frivolous complaints they receive. Want to bet people act differently when they're being videotaped?

Who cares about the cost? If it spares even one "person of color" from police abuse it is worth it!!!!

#OnlyBlackLivesMatter

(02-08-2015 11:04 AM)No Bull Wrote:  Who cares about the cost? If it spares even one "person of color" from police abuse it is worth it!!!!

#OnlyBlackLivesMatter

Will the cameras not work on white suspects? I'm confused as to why you even brought race into this issue, or why any actual conservative would be against this? You need to learn your own ideology.

(02-08-2015 11:09 AM)UCF08 Wrote:  

(02-08-2015 11:04 AM)No Bull Wrote:  Who cares about the cost? If it spares even one "person of color" from police abuse it is worth it!!!!

#OnlyBlackLivesMatter

Will the cameras not work on white suspects? I'm confused as to why you even brought race into this issue, or why any actual conservative would be against this? You need to learn your own ideology.

Obama and Holder proposed this crap. They inject race into everything, so why can't I?

Which is why Memphis developed the "Real Time Crime Center"



http://www.memphispolice.org/rtcc.asp

(02-08-2015 11:25 AM)UofMemphis Wrote:  Which is why Memphis developed the "Real Time Crime Center"



http://www.memphispolice.org/rtcc.asp

Well... I don't like it. Why aren't "people of color" doing the monitoring? Look at the photo...this does not represent demographics in Memphis. This is the subtle everyday racism that Eric Holder has been speaking of.

Please shut up, you're making our university look bad.

(02-08-2015 11:25 AM)UofMemphis Wrote:  Which is why Memphis developed the "Real Time Crime Center"



http://www.memphispolice.org/rtcc.asp

This is like letting a wolf guard the hen house. Would any of these observers every tell on a cop? Let the people do the observing. neighborhood representatives and community organizers (such as myself). Let a panel of the people decide in real time if a crime is being commited. There should also be a direct line (think bat phone) to the DOJ.

Has the physician been messing with your meds recently?

(02-08-2015 11:43 AM)UCF08 Wrote:  Has the physician been messing with your meds recently?

Admit it. I am funny. Painfully funny.

It's worth it if it spares us from another "hands up, don't shoot" MSNBC situation.

Lots of psych patients find themselves hilarious.

(02-08-2015 06:07 AM)VA49er Wrote:  Even if all the cops have cameras it will come down to when they actually turn the cameras on. I mean, they can't be on all the time. Just the time involved in reviewing footage will be very very expensive.

They should be required to turn them on whenever they interact with the public.

(02-08-2015 11:52 AM)Fitbud Wrote:  

(02-08-2015 06:07 AM)VA49er Wrote:  Even if all the cops have cameras it will come down to when they actually turn the cameras on. I mean, they can't be on all the time. Just the time involved in reviewing footage will be very very expensive.

They should be required to turn them on whenever they interact with the public.

They will be, and these 'issues' will be addressed once their usage becomes widespread. They aren't a perfect fix-all, but they'll help interactions for both Police and Citizens.