Thursday, October 05, 2006

Plans for 30 cams prompted by Meeks' allegations

From the Sun-Times

Allegations that a Chicago Police sergeant mistreated state Sen. James Meeks have prompted the department to buy 30 video cameras it plans to install in squad cars by mid-October to record traffic stops, officials said Wednesday

The city specified the cameras would be mounted on the windshield, record images at least 16 feet away in low-light situations and allow officers to leave their cars and roam at least 500 feet with a wireless microphone. A hardwired mike will record audio in the vehicles.

According to the article the department intends to install the cameras in an additional 1670 marked vehicle with state funding. The mounting of these cameras was inevitable regardless of the Meeks mistreatment of a brother sgt. Imagine how the reverend would have reacted if he had later learned the sgt’s vehicle had a camera. We believe almost all officers act appropriately on traffic stops and that these cameras will be more of an aid rather than a hindrance. Our main concern will be the hardwired mike in the vehicle. When will conversations of officers be recorded? The video begins 1 minute before the lights are activated so this means it runs continuously. So does this mean the mike runs continuously?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think it will aide us in teh long run, I also have issue with when the mike goes on, my question is this: if we are getting 30, why are they only going to 005, 016 and lake shore traffic? i can see them going to traffic since those guys work 99 but why not spread them out over all the districts? and the purchase of the additional cameras is ONLY if they get state funding. 005 is a no-brainer, but why not the whole city?

Anonymous said...

Does any one recall the city had three vendors to try out on the car cameras and audio approximate on a 2-mth. rotation? The city it appears is not yet on their second vendor. Been better than 4 mths. since first vendor left.

Audio tape was said to start recording 30 seconds after mars lgts. were hit.

There's no contract yet on a vendor.

Anonymous said...

Off topic....SCS, how about changing the background color, it's a little hard on the eyes.

Please keep in mind that this is an open blog
that can and is read by people other than Chicago Police Officers.