SAFE FLEET NEWS

Should police departments still use police car cameras once they’ve deployed body cameras? YES.

Welcome to COBAN’s Company Blog. COBAN provides body cameras (bodycams), police car video systems (police dashcams), and other digital evidence management solutions for police departments, public safety agencies, and businesses.

Body Camera Challenge

When we visit police departments around the country, one of the common themes we hear about is their struggle to deal with the cost and complexity of managing all these new video technologies.

While body cameras have brought greater transparency for the public, police departments and city councils are just beginning to understand how these new devices impact costs, budgets, and behaviors.

Importance of Police Car Cameras

One question we are often asked about is the use of police car camera systems. Given the cost and complexity of adding body cameras, some agencies briefly considered discontinuing use of police dash cameras. Once body cameras are deployed, how important is it to have in-car video systems as well? We found that it is extremely important. The attached story by the New York times in 2016 does a great job of demonstrating why a body camera-only view can provide very misleading information about a situation.

Police Body Cameras – What Do You See In This Exchange With a Citizen?

By complementing body camera footage with police car video systems, the public and police departments can get a much more accurate view of what happened during an incident. That accuracy helps avoid needless lawsuits and improves public trust in law enforcement.

Learn key questions to consider when deploying mobile video – body cameras, police car video systems (in car video), and evidence management software, by downloading our Police Camera Key Considerations checklist.