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The 'PistolCam'
A New York company says it has invented a camera that fits into a gun and could provide vital answers when police use deadly force, and soon Orange County police will be testing the first-of-its-kind units.The standard-issue Glock resting on the left hip of Dennis Barry, captain of the Orange Co. Sheriff's Department, is about to enter the digital age. "We're gonna try this out and we don't see any downside to it," Barry told CBS 2. In January, the department will be the first in the country to test the "PistolCam," a miniature digital camera that attaches under the gun barrel. The camera records audio and video as soon as the gun is drawn from its holster. The developers of PistolCam say video recorded by the unit is even encrypted, and cannot be tampered with. The maker of the device says in addition to a great training aid at the gun range, the "pistolcam" video will provide valuable evidence when deadly force is used. "Not only could we use it to preserve the evidence, exactly what happened, but we could go back, we can train our officers to be better prepared, maybe make better decisions," says Bill DeProsp of Legend Technologies, the company behind the device. The Orange County Sheriff's Department hasn't even installed the cameras yet, and already there's talk of expanding their use. The mayor of Newburgh says he wants them installed in part to ease historically tense relations between police and the community. On the streets, there is both support and skepticism for the PistolCam plan. "Of course it would increase police trust. For me, I would feel better about it. If it's being recorded it should be correct," says Janelle Osborne, a Newburgh resident. "A camera? That's wasting state money right there, when they could be doing other thigns for kids in this community," added Dee Davis, also a Newburgh resident. At $700 each, PistolCams are not cheap. Still, in a life and death situation, the evidence they provide, however, could prove priceless. Posted by: Anonymoose 2007-10-31 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=204604 |