When criminal acts occur in Sylvania, there are three sides to the story.
There's the suspect's version, the officer's version, and now, the video's version.
Sylvania police department is the latest law enforcement agency to put video cameras in its marked police cars.
The eight Mobile Vision cameras are a tool to bolster evidence in court and support the facts when different perspectives usually clash.
“It'll be real hard for criminals to say it wasn't them when we have them on video,” said Officer Danilynn Miller, who has been with the department since 1994. She will show other officers how to use the cameras.
The videotapes may also protect suspects, police Chief Gerald Sobb said. The tapes could be used to follow-up on citizen's complaints about officer misconduct.
“I think they are going to help protect the public and the police officers by establishing a video record of what actually takes place,” he said. “It won't be one person's word against another anymore.”
Just days after the cameras were installed this month, a police officer captured on tape a short chase with suspects who fled in a stolen car and later crashed into a garage.
The suspects were arrested and without the footage police “may not have been able to identify all the suspects,” Chief Sobb said.
The cameras are attached near the rear view mirror and cost $37,160, including one purchased for $4,345 with a federal grant.
The city purchased the remaining seven.
“I think it's a terrific investment,” Mayor Craig Stough said.
Officers can use the cameras manually or they automatically activate when an officer triggers a car's emergency lights.
The tape is in the trunk in a secured box and only a supervisor has the key.
To prevent any tampering with evidence, the technology does not allow an officer to tape over any incidents.
If the tape is rewound and started over, the tape will automatically jump to the end and start, Chief Sobb said.
The only machine that can erase the tape is located in an office, he said.
Officer Miller has been chronicling traffic stops so far with the equipment. Residents have not noticed so far, she said.
The officers can use a button on their belts to trigger the video or they can use a remote microphone clipped to their uniform to record the audio of an incident.
An officer could also use the audio versions while walking in a building during an investigation.
The addition of video cameras is one of the biggest changes Chief Sobb has seen since he started police work in 1972.
“The patrol vehicle had a radio and that was it,” he said. Because of all of the police equipment now in a car, two officers cannot ride in the front seat, he said.
Meanwhile, the department is testing computers attached in the patrol car that could be used for records checks to relieve the workload with police dispatchers. The criminal information is sent via a radio signal.
This will enhance the ability for officers to do their job, Chief Sobb said.
First Published April 25, 2001, 6:33 p.m.