| Submit your comments on this article |
| Science & Technology |
| The 'PistolCam' |
| 2007-10-31 |
| 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 |
| #13 The US needs die Polizei. Let them speak as much German as they wish. They will get their point across, I assure you. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2007-10-31 13:51 |
| #12 What do we always bitch about when the left/activists start stamping their feet crying police brutality? We say that they have no facts, that their claims run absolutely counter to the officer's account. So, this camera should, in theory, provide the proof that the officer needs, which should, in theory, enable responsible folk to shut the screamers up and fast. That, my friends, is a very good thing. |
| Posted by: remoteman 2007-10-31 13:37 |
| #11 Anonymoose, the videos shown last night were of the wide-angle view. It showed what the perp was doing and backed up the officer's description of events. |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2007-10-31 13:10 |
| #10 The Newburgh Stewert airport is very customer friendly. |
| Posted by: Thrairt Oppressor of the Lichtensteiners6029 2007-10-31 10:50 |
| #9 Newburgh NY grew rapidly during WWII & later as many rural poor flooded in from southern states to take manufacturing jobs. Those industries were under stress by the 60s and by the late 60s there were race riots in the city. It never recovered. The potentially beautiful waterfront is still full of rusting factories and weedfilled lots that no one will build on due to pollution cleanup liability. The central park, designed by the same person who designed NYC's Central Park, is badly neglected & the public housing blocks are drug and welfare dens. After 9/11, as people left NYC and moved north, some areas of Newburgh began renovation - there's a nice area of waterfront with restaurants and some new housing near the water. Big box stores either came or are coming into the town and the Port Authortity of NY/NJ just took over the local airport which is becoming a transhipment hub. But .... jobs are still limited for those with lousy educations and work habits and there is a cadre of very vocal community activists who are openly hostile to the cops at every turn. Example: one activist's kid was killed after SHOOTING AT POLICE -- and the community demanded that the cops be punished for "using excessive force". Cameras on the police guns isn't going to fix that. |
| Posted by: lotp 2007-10-31 09:16 |
| #8 After thinking about this overnight, I realized that this will only do one thing effectively: show the single angle of trajectory from the back to the front of the gun at the moment of firing. And that is of very limited value. To start with, it won't be like a car cam, because typically a gun is not pointed like a camera except in a distance standoff. Usually, the gun and the officer are moving around wildly, shots are "grab shots", not aimed. Of much greater value are other inventions like "hat cams", that give a dynamic view of what the officer sees over time. They would be far more accurate in reconstructing a shot. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2007-10-31 08:53 |
| #7 And science fiction books too, 2x4. Look at "Iron Sunrise" by Charles Stross, for example. |
| Posted by: Eric Jablow 2007-10-31 08:44 |
| #6 Dash cams in police cars show cops are in the right more often than not. If it doesn't interfere with operation of the firearm, it could be a good thing. Need more data. |
| Posted by: Steve 2007-10-31 07:31 |
| #5 I saw this on Hannity and Colmes last night. I don't normally watch Hannity and Colmes but this sounded interesting. It was. |
| Posted by: Deacon Blues 2007-10-31 07:24 |
| #4 Bourne Ultimatum. At least the idea appears in movies, 3dc. Who knows, perhaps you could collect royalties? ;-) |
| Posted by: twobyfour 2007-10-31 02:27 |
| #3 Next will be "Smart Guns" and an electronically controlled signal and authorization from Police headquarters that prompts trigger activation and release. Something tells me we're going the wrong direction here. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2007-10-31 01:33 |
| #2 Still have the paperwork. |
| Posted by: 3dc 2007-10-31 00:59 |
| #1 I tried to patent something like that in 1997 and Motorola refused to pursue it because "All our engineers would end up in court testifying how it worked forever". I was really upset. Typical expert witness fees by an inventor are $1000/hr. I would have been on easy street. |
| Posted by: 3dc 2007-10-31 00:59 |