Toledo police soon will spend nearly $300,000 to upgrade a dashboard camera system that will automatically upload digital video from patrol cars within range of three police buildings.
"We were looking for something that would be easy to use for the officers," said Toledo Police Sgt. Jeff Thieman, head of the technical services department.
The system was purchased for $292,580, which will be covered by a federal grant and funds generated from cash and goods seized by police in drug raids.
The federal Justice Assistance Grant provided $212,058, and $80,522 came from the Law Enforcement Trust Fund, police said.
About 40 patrol cars are being outfitted with new equipment that will be operational by the end of the month, Sergeant Thieman said.
Police officials spent about a year examining proposals from five companies before settling on the system created by a New Jersey-based firm, L-3 Mobile-Vision Inc.
It features two in-car video cameras that automatically turn on when police activate the cruiser's lights. A four-inch full-color video camera mounted near the windshield captures the scene in front of the police cruiser, and a small infrared camera with a fisheye lens is pointed at the back- seat to pick up video and audio of arrested suspects.
Older systems recorded lower-quality video, Sergeant Thieman said, and the backseat camera is a first for the department.
Officers also will carry devices resembling pagers that can record audio outside the vehicle.
The video is captured on a 1.5-inch memory card in a control box inside the trunk of the vehicle.
A small white antenna, shaped like a half-sphere, is mounted on the cruiser's trunk and automatically sends recorded videos to servers when officers park near the Safety Building downtown, the police and fire alarm building downtown, or the Scott Park District station.
If the cruiser is moved before an upload is complete, the process will pick up where it left off when the vehicle returns, Sergeant Thieman said.
Chief Mike Navarre said the backseat camera and audio recorder is one of the best features of the new system.
"Put two burglary suspects in a vehicle together," Chief Navarre said. "Becausethere is no expectation of pri-
vacy in a police vehicle, we're able to record and use as evidence any statements that they make. And they do talk. They try to get their stories together, or their lies together."
Toledo police have struggled to keep up with the evolving video technology in recent years. The first digital video system the department implemented years ago turned out to be a dud.
It was returned to the manufacturer for a full refund, Chief Navarre said.
Another previous system proved to be impractical because it required officers to use cables to plug into the server to upload the videos, Sergeant Thieman said.
Police are convinced this new system is a winner, and they need not look far for a success story.
Sylvania police installed the system in 13 cruisers last May.
The automatic upload feature has received rave reviews from officers, said Sylvania Police Sgt. Danilynn Miller, who also acknowledged that some features of the new system made police nervous.
Administrators now have easy access to the videos through the department's intranet, and some officers were initially paranoid that the videos would be used against them, she said.
"We've been real pleased with it. It's been working out well," Sergeant Miller said. "It's a tool that can aid the officer in their job. That's what it's there for. It's a tool, not there as Big Brother's watching you. It's turned out valuable more times than not for us and the citizens."
Contact Bridget Tharp at:
btharp@theblade.com
or 419-724-6086.
First Published March 2, 2010, 11:39 a.m.
