There’s Always a Witness

Motorists pulled over in Cypress should prepare for their close-ups.

Fifteen squad cars are being equipped with video cameras to record Cypress police interacting with the public.

“We’re installing them right now,” Sgt. John Avila said of the $80,000 project. “We’re trying to get this thing done, working and on the street by mid-September.”

Cypress follows Newport Beach, Fountain Valley, Tustin, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and others in the race to tape. Costa Mesa is considering a test run too.

The trend is fueled by new evidence laws, federal grants and a hope that it will make it easier to investigate allegations of police misconduct and instances in which suspects turn on law enforcement officers.

Popular with police, the videos also provide strong--though not indisputable--evidence. They reduce the amount of time police must spend in court and can eliminate a complaint against the department with the touch of the play button, always easier and cheaper than calling in lawyers.

“It’s caused a lot of litigation to go away,” Sheriff’s Lt. Tom Garner said. “All you do is show the tape.”

A drunken driving charge going to trial is a slam-dunk case when the suspect is seen on video stumbling through a roadside sobriety test.

“Once they know there’s a tape and the guy has failed the field test, it’s a no-brainer in court,” Garner said. “He’s going to lose.”

Newport Beach Police Lt. Tom Riley said his city installed video systems in patrol cars two years ago after losing what he contends was a bogus lawsuit.

“It’s a sad state that we have to videotape our activities, but it’s a necessary part of doing business,” he said. “It probably does save money and time because the tape is very good evidence.”

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Newport Beach’s system, which cost $200,000, is being used as a model by Cypress and other cities.

After the briefing for each patrol shift at Newport police headquarters, an officer using a personal identification number grabs a tape and scans its bar code, creating a record of which officer has which tape, explained Kendra Durstall, video supervisor.

The officer then installs the tape in a fireproof and bulletproof recording unit--not unlike the black boxes found on airplanes--mounted in the trunk of the patrol car.

The equipment is activated by a button on the officer’s utility belt--a la Batman--and when roof lights flash. The not-so-hidden camera is perched beneath the rearview mirror, and a wireless microphone with a 1,000-foot range attaches to the officer’s uniform, so even if the encounter is out of range of the camera, exchanges can still be recorded.

After the patrol shift, the tape is dropped into a secured bin that resembles a library book return slot and stored for two years, a state mandate that is about to change, much to the relief of departments concerned about storage space.

Newport Beach alone stores 15,000 tapes.

The revised state law goes into effect Jan. 1 and will allow tapes to be erased after 12 months instead of 24 months. Court-worthy evidence will stay on the shelf as long as needed.

Recordings are kept confidential unless police departments choose to release the images to the public. They also are reviewed by department officials to see if complaints against officers have merit.

The tapes aren’t used in evaluations, and officers said they generally feel comfortable when the cameras roll.

“It’s not used as a supervisorial tool,” Newport Police Sgt. John Desmond said. “They are not routinely monitored for performance--that’s not the intent of it. We don’t use it as a Big Brother for police.”