BodyCameras

(Note: This article was written in 2016 and missed publication)
I just read the linked article about a low cost solution for police body cameras. I think it merits discussion. On the one hand, dedicated devices are more tamper resistant and can be built with the always-on battery life, ruggedness and simple controls that lend it a long life in the sort of hard use a police officers item can expect. Also, since it has literally no other purpose there is no reason for it to ever not be in place.

On the other hand, a smartphone based system can be cheaper, and always online. You can off-load the storage to prevent tampering and livestream incidents in progress. but at the cost of battery life, probably having to be activated and managed from the touch screen (a huge, fragile, battery waster) and being easily blocked by structures, simple network congestion, airplane mode, or lack of signal. The mounting system shown in the article seems especially subject to being dropped, lost or otherwise disabled.

The advantage of using a phone with its own data capability is clear. A phone is simpler to use than a dedicated, larger device that needs to be plugged in to a dock every night not only to charge, but to offload the camera’s footage to a server.

“VieVu, you would wear it your whole shift, record several aspects of what you were doing, come into the office, plug it in, and then it would download,” Officer Johnny Mathis of the Dos Palos Police Department, told Ars.

“The problems that we had [with a dedicated body camera] was that some officers wouldn’t plug it in, or the connection wasn’t real good, or when you went to use the camera, it was full. This one, as soon as you turn the camera off, it uploads it into the cloud, no problems with being full or anything like that.”

Would a cop fail to ensure their gun was loaded, or that the barrel wasn’t obstructed? Would they drive off without making sure the patrol car had gas? These are a cultural issue with cops using any  excuse to avoid being filmed at work. My solution is 2 fold.

1. A bodycam designed to fit in the officers breast pocket. It has both celluar streaming and onboard fixed storage. It is affixed into the pocket with velcro so as to stay in place during vigorous physical activity. it would have an onboard battery life greater then a shift length, a charging port and battery pack option and a “pause” button for bathroom breaks etc that requires a 3 second push to deactivate the camera, but a mere tap to activate. There would be a light and signal sent when the camera is activated and deactivated.
2. At the end of shift the cameras would be turned into a quartermaster department whose job it is to secure the data, charge and maintain the devices. At the beginning of shift there would be and inspection of the camera and acceptance. Both of these would be systems that have disciplinary reinforcement. If an officer didn’t check they device, discipline. If the quartermaster didn’t archive it right? discipline.

At least that is my starting point.