Cops Jittery About Squad Car Cameras

By Prescott Carlson in News on Mar 29, 2010 9:20PM

The Sun-Times reports today that some officers in the Chicago Police Department aren't so keen on having cameras installed in their squad cars. Some 340 patrol vehicles have received the cameras, with one facing forward through the windshield, and the other pointed at the back seat. Apparently this makes some of Chicago's finest nervous:

Privately, some cops told the Chicago Sun-Times they were ignoring the rule to turn on camera systems because they're worried their words and actions will come back to haunt them. They explained they sometimes must use harsh language to establish control over people they stop.

Police Supt. Jody Weis is reported as saying having the cameras on is "absolutely critical" and that it's "unacceptable not to have them turned on," especially, as he says, accusations of wrongdoing have been dismissed based on recorded video.

But the cameras don't only get officers off the hook -- the head of the Independent Police Review Authority Illana Rosenzweig told the Sun-Times that video captured by the cameras has led to the disciplining of "at least two" police officers.

Which is why the CPD is taking steps so that cops can't just turn cameras on and off at their whim. The company that makes and installs the cameras, Coban Technologies, Inc., will be modifying them so that police supervisors will be notified if an on-duty officer has his cameras turned off. This is a stop gap measure until the company can equip the cameras so that they turn on as soon as the car is started, and will remain on continuously until an hour after the ignition is turned off. Coban reportedly will make the updates at no cost to taxpayers, their generosity probably helped along by the over $2.5 million in payments they've already received from the city for the cameras since February of last year.