LEGEAR Australia Blog

Video recorder is new tool for cops
Jeremy Duda - DAILY HERALD
The next time you talk to a cop in American Fork, remember to smile. You're on camera.

EHS Inc., a Spanish Fork company that specializes in communications equipment for law enforcement and military personnel, is touting its latest product, the VIDMIC, a microphone and video camera combination that clips onto the front of an officer's uniform.

The device is one of a kind, with nothing else like it on the market, said Mike Marshall, the vice president of sales for EHS and one of the inventors of the VIDMIC. The American Fork Police Department was the first in the country to start using the VIDMIC, and in the past three months, nearly 80 other agencies have followed suit. Another 300 agencies are testing the product now, Marshall said, including Ogden, West Valley City and the University of Utah parking police.

"We've taken the shoulder mic and housed it so now every officer is basically a walking camera," Marshall said at a media event on Thursday at the American Fork Police Department.

Lt. Sam Liddiard of the American Fork Police Department said VIDMIC is the "up and coming thing" in law enforcement today. The department initially bought only a few of the $700 devices, but was so sold on it that it quickly outfitted all 33 of its officer with VIDMICs.

"We've been waiting for something like this for years," Liddiard said.

The device, which looks like a small walkie talkie, can be turned on with the simple push of a button whenever an officer pulls someone over or responds to a call. The one-gigabyte memory can hold up to three and a half hours of video, Marshall said, or 1,000 photographs from its 5.2-megapixel still camera.

Robby Lapp, a manufacturer's representative working with EHS, called the VIDMIC an "indisputable witness." It sees everything the officer sees, so instead of the usual he-said-she-said dynamic that is often seen after an arrest or when a complaint is lodged against an officer, investigators can just turn to the VIDMIC.

Most police and sheriff's departments use dashboard-mounted cameras, Marshall said, but only about 25 percent of the things an officer does are in front of the car. The other 75 percent is what the VIDMIC is for.

For example, if an officer pulls a car over and sees drugs on the seat, he'll arrest the driver. But later, the suspect can always claim that the drugs weren't visible and the officer conducted an illegal search. If that officer was wearing a VIDMIC, there will be no dispute that the drugs were in plain sight.

VIDMIC video footage has a high enough resolution that it's admissible as evidence in court, but many cases that involve the device will never get that far, Lapp said. Defense attorneys are often reluctant to go to trial if they know there's video of their clients' misdeeds. Lapp cited one department where indisputable VIDMIC footage led a rape suspect to plead guilty.

By forcing more criminals to plead guilty instead of taking their cases to trial, the VIDMIC could potentially save cities and counties hundreds of thousands of dollars in prosecution costs, Lapp said. An officer involved in the rape case Lapp mentioned told him that the VIDMIC probably saved at least $100,000.

"If you've been recorded doing something with video and audio, there's no way you can refute that," Lapp said.

The VIDMIC also protects officers who are accused of improprieties on the job. Marshall said 96.2 percent of officers who are charged with misconduct are exonerated when video evidence is available, and many people will simply drop their complaint if they know the encounter was recorded.

"I think the main thing is this protects officers from frivolous lawsuits and claims, it reduces agency liability, and it also increases successful prosecution," Marshall said.

The evidence can go both ways, Liddiard said. Having a VIDMIC on during an encounter helps officers stay professional, he said, and any misconduct by the officer will be plain for all to see. Officers can view the footage they've taken on duty, but only their superiors have the codes needed to edit or erase those videos.

"If an officer is doing something wrong, it's going to catch that also," Liddiard said.

• Jeremy Duda can be reached at 344-2561 or jduda@heraldextra.com. This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

"Some Oklahoma police departments and county sheriff's departments state are equipping officers with the VIDMIC, a device that can record audio and video and take still pictures, reports The Oklahoman. The device is clipped on the officer's shoulder, much like the shoulder microphones most officers wear. 'I'm sitting here thinking there's got to be a downside, but there really isn't,' said Catoosa School District Police Chief Kevin McKim. 'I can't think of a negative for it. It reduces the amount of frivolous lawsuits, reduces an agency's liability and reduces court appearance time for officers. If somebody makes a complaint, we're able to review it and handle it immediately.' " 

"The device is cheaper than a dashboard camera, which is good only if an officer is in or near a patrol car. The recording device costs about $600. Video can be downloaded to a computer and reviewed. Each device can record audio and video for about three hours, said Mike Marshall of EHS Inc., a Utah-based company that makes the VIDMIC. The recording device began selling five months ago and so far, 180 law enforcement agencies worldwide are using it. The recording devices are being used by police departments in Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, San Diego and Miami."