Good Deal for Cops and Civilians

Los Angeles Police Chief Bernard Parks’ proposal to install video cameras in the department’s 1,200 patrol cars is a sound idea that would protect both suspects and officers.

The cameras were among 120 recommendations made by the Christopher Commission following the 1991 beating of Rodney King; so far they have been put into only 36 cars as part of a pilot program, now 4 years old. It’s up to Mayor Richard Riordan to find a way to fit the video equipment--expected to cost between $3,000 and $6,000 per car--into the city budget.

It would be money well spent--as would be the $1,500 per car proposed by Parks to install bullet-resistant doors on police cruisers. The measures, outlined earlier this week, send two messages. They say to officers that the city is serious about making their jobs as safe as possible and say to the public that the department is serious about weeding out problem cops.

The tamper-proof cameras switch on when officers flash their lights to begin a stop and record a wide view in front of the patrol car, along with sound. Thus the actions and words of officers and suspects are preserved. That benefits everyone. Officers like the idea of having an unbiased “witness.” And civilians appreciate having a way to easily verify any claims of abuse. Other cities with car-mounted cameras have used the tapes as evidence in both criminal and civil cases.

The cameras and bullet-resistant doors would be phased in over four years as the department replaces vehicles in its 1,200-car black-and-white fleet. At that rate, the last of the cameras would be installed more than a decade after the King beating highlighted the need for better monitoring. Late, but still just as needed.