If a cop's camera is on and streaming all the time then there is the potential that not only his personal information (ie. phone call with the wife) but also information regarding the general public will be exposed. What if the camera picks up the computer screen while he's running a warrant check?
Try this on for size, a cop responds to a traffic accident where a victim was ejected and had their head crushed. There's no reason that should become a public record. Here's one that happened to me. I was investigating possible damage to an aircraft we had on static display. The hatch was open and when I approached I could hear voices inside. Turned out that there were three kids in there hanging out (probably more than that). One of the kids was a 15 year old female. As she raised her arms so I could visually check her waist her sweatshirt pulled up and her tits popped out. There's no reason for that to be public either.
Greetings, Lutherf. :2wave:
Logical arguments! :thumbs: I'll be interested in reading the responses, pro and con.
Since LutherF has brought-up valid concerns, and Polgara so nicely asked for a response, I'll kindly reply!
I worked in wireless communications for quite a few years (no longer), and believe there might be some misconception or misunderstanding of the technology and it's applications here.
By "streaming", what's meant is the data goes somewhere in real-time in a continuous manner.
But that place it goes in this instance will be specifically defined, not broadcast for the world to see like some radio, TV, or a YouTube video!
It will be secure, encrypted, and archived in some manner in Police custody (hopefully with civilian review authority). It would reside on some server somewhere, or some local secure device. So the data would be only accessed by those with appropriate authority.
So to clear things up, this data does not go into the public space or to public access. Fears of the entire city leering at unintentionally exposed breasts or aghast at motor-vehicle carnage are unfounded. Besides review by approved individuals in the authorities, it would take a court order to otherwise access this secured data.
Perhaps the most dangerous aspect of all cops wearing cameras all the time is that people like you and many others in this thread would use that streaming to scour the feeds for absolutely anything the cops did wrong and then sue the department. It would put an incredible chill on the ability of the cops to perform their duties and would likely cost the taxpayers of the municipalities millions of dollars every year in idiot legal expenses.
Well!
To make an argument that the public video of illegal police actions should not occur because the police will be held accountable, is a pretty amazing argument to make - and good luck selling that one to the public!
To put this as a *highest* concern, could even come across sounding self-serving of police interests, rather than the public's.
But rest assured the point is moot, as explained above the video data does not enter the public domain unless it is chosen to be released via proper channels.
Additionally, the video can be used raw for legal and police purposes, and edited by the proper body(s) for the general public.
The technology is here, and I don't see it being stopped. Like all tools, digital technology is a double-edged sword, has it's pluses & minuses, and can be used for good or bad. But I think in general terms, public transparency and accountability of our government and it's actors is usually a good thing. And technology is getting us there.