Why Tulsa PD will never have dashcams

[MH2010]

The police cars are paid for by the third penny sales tax.  Also, we were told this week that there will be no new vehicles purchased for the next two years.  So, the ones we have will have to last.

I couldn't find crime statistics from 1960 in Tulsa but this is the earliest I found.

1980  350,387 people in Tulsa, 36 murders, 251 rapes, 798 robberies, 1630 aggravated assaults,  total violent crime  2715

then here is 2005:

2005  380,440 people in Tulsa, 59 murders, 303 rapes, 1096 robberies, 3538 aggravated assaults, total violent crime 4996

Here is the latest totals:

2007  381469 people in Tulsa, 55 murders, 299 rapes, 1023 robberies, 3175 aggravated assaults, 24044 property crime, 6843 burglary, 13522 larceny-theft, 3679 auto theft, 255 arson

I think the police are a little busier now with just reported crime.  This doesn't even address, the 911 system and how many more times we are dispatched compared to the 1960's.  In addition, the area we patrol is larger and our responsibilities have changed alot since the 1960's.

[Hoss]

The police cars are paid for by the third penny sales tax.  Also, we were told this week that there will be no new vehicles purchased for the next two years.  So, the ones we have will have to last.

I couldn't find crime statistics from 1960 in Tulsa but this is the earliest I found.

1980  350,387 people in Tulsa, 36 murders, 251 rapes, 798 robberies, 1630 aggravated assaults,  total violent crime  2715

then here is 2005:

2005  380,440 people in Tulsa, 59 murders, 303 rapes, 1096 robberies, 3538 aggravated assaults, total violent crime 4996

Here is the latest totals:

2007  381469 people in Tulsa, 55 murders, 299 rapes, 1023 robberies, 3175 aggravated assaults, 24044 property crime, 6843 burglary, 13522 larceny-theft, 3679 auto theft, 255 arson

I think the police are a little busier now with just reported crime.  This doesn't even address, the 911 system and how many more times we are dispatched compared to the 1960's.  In addition, the area we patrol is larger and our responsibilities have changed alot since the 1960's.

How many of those brand-new Chargers does the dept have now, as a percentage to the total fleet?  I know I still see the Chevys but have been seeing the black and white Chargers more and more.

[MH2010]

I think they bought mainly Fords and Dodges this year.  The Chevy doesn't have as much room and they break down faster.

[Neptune]

I think everyone probably wants the police department to be outfitted well, it just isn't a priority (just stating the fact, not making a judgment call).  Comparing today to 29 or 49 years ago is a little misleading.  There have been huge economic/demographic shifts. 

In 1960, Tulsa was about a third of the size it is now in square miles.  There was a massive annexation back in the 60s that made us much closer to what we are today.  The people that ran Tulsa back then decided that cities like Broken Arrow might some day threaten them for dominance of the area.  Before that, we were much more densely populated, the police department patrolled a much smaller area in 1960.  In essence, we had much better police coverage then.

In 1980, for those that were around back then, you probably remember how very little Tulsa had grown around Woodland Hills.  That mall was built in 1977.  There was a whole lot of absolute nothing between there and Bixby, or there and Broken Arrow.  71st street was mostly a rough two lane road.

Our police department covers way more area than it did 30 or 50 years ago. 

[cannon_fodder]

MD:

I did not mean to imply that the police are not doing their jobs or not working hard at what they do.  I just saw that stat while looking up some data and was shocked by it.  Just poor planning and societal changes I guess, but still.  Just sucks to be able to do less with twice as much.

[Red Arrow]

In 1980, for those that were around back then, you probably remember how very little Tulsa had grown around Woodland Hills.  That mall was built in 1977.  There was a whole lot of absolute nothing between there and Bixby, or there and Broken Arrow.  71st street was mostly a rough two lane road.

The good old days.  No traffic on Memorial south of 71st.

[patric]

Just sucks to be able to do less with twice as much.

Likewise, it's hard to believe that Tulsa doesnt tap any number of federal grants for the purpose of funding dashcams the way it does for what seems like an endless variety of other special-interest enforcement grants.
 
If Tulsa really wanted them, we would have them.  Instead we buy novelty sirens, Segways, overpriced e-Citation  systems, etc, etc.

[Kiah]

A dashcam might have been useful here . . . .


Tulsa Police Car Totaled In Accident

Posted: March 24, 2009 06:20 AM CDT

Updated: March 24, 2009 06:20 AM CDT
 
NewsOn6.com

TULSA, OK -- Tulsa Police are trying to sort out what led to an accident involving a Tulsa Police car overnight.

The accident happened around 11 p.m. Monday when the police car and a pickup truck collided at the Skelly Bypass and Peoria Avenue.

Both the police officer and the driver of the pickup truck say they had a green light.

The police car was totaled.

No one was hurt in the accident.

[Wilbur]

Likewise, it's hard to believe that Tulsa doesnt tap any number of federal grants for the purpose of funding dashcams the way it does for what seems like an endless variety of other special-interest enforcement grants.
 
If Tulsa really wanted them, we would have them.  Instead we buy novelty sirens, Segways, overpriced e-Citation  systems, etc, etc.

The Feds dictate what is allowed to be used for grants.  For the past several years, unless it is considered homeland security equipment, the Feds don't want to buy equipment, they want to pay for time, whether it is to pay an officer's salary or pay for officer overtime to work some sort of special project.  Many years ago the Feds used to buy all kinds of equipment through grants, such as radars, weapons, .......  but that died off around 1990.  Most grants now reimburse salaries/overtime.

And Tulsa has not purchased any 'novelty sirens' (the one or two being used were donated for trial/testing) nor 'e-Citation' system (it hasn't been funded).

Someone mentioned the 'top of the line' dashcams were running about $5000.  Actually, that is very much on the low end.  Top of the line is more around $15K.  You can't set anything on the dash anymore with airbags, so you'll have to mount something on the roof.  Radios/computers/sirens/light controls take up the room between the seats. 

[TUalum0982]

This is the setup that OHP currently uses in it's cruisers.

http://www.watchguardvideo.com/products/

It records onto a DVD, once its full, you simply pop it out, write your name and date on it, and they turn it in to their commanding officer.

It has some great features, you can turn on/off the wireless body mic, it has both a front facing camera and inside facing one as well.  So you can see what goes on inside your car when you have someone in the back.  It also records their voice as well. 

There are several diff variables, but I believe OHP has theirs set, to where once the officer turns on his lights, it automatically starts recording the 30 seconds prior. 

This system really has some great features.  I am not for sure how much this system costs, but it is one of the most user friendly and complete systems I have ever seen.


Here is a closeup of just the display


here is a link to their website for more info. 
http://www.watchguardvideo.com/products/


I personally think this would be a great tool for TPD, I honestly have no idea what the system cost to buy and maintain.

[cannon_fodder]

I looked into it a little bit and it has gotten good reviews.  System seems ideal.  The only possible drawback is the ability of officers to tamper with the system (lost discs).  BUT, if a disc is lost it would be like any other evidence - the assumption goes against the person that had possession of the evidence and lost it.   Like everything else in the police force, put policy in place for use of the system, when those policies are not followed it general means trouble.

Alas, I searched a bit and could not find an idea of how much it costs. 

[patric]

The only possible drawback is the ability of officers to tamper with the system (lost discs).  BUT, if a disc is lost it would be like any other evidence - the assumption goes against the person that had possession of the evidence and lost it.   Like everything else in the police force, put policy in place for use of the system, when those policies are not followed it general means trouble.

There have been a few times where suspects have subpoenaed video from OHP only to be told the "tape was misplaced" so there's no reason to believe a DVD would fare better. 
Due to the fragility of DVD media it is rapidly going out of style as a camera recording format, quickly being replaced by Flash Memory (Secure Digital, Memory Sticks) in the form of AVCHD recordings that can be instantly uploaded by cellular networks to police mainframes. 

For crash analysis (TiVo-like playback of the 30-seconds prior to airbags being deployed), a DVD carriage would be less likely to survive, whereas SD memory would continue to record and preserve the data.  Depending on bitrate, AVCHD format (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AVCHD) lets you record 11 hours of VGA video on a 16Gb memory card, and the digital stamping makes tampering a lot harder.  I would not trust a system where the vehicle operator could manually pause any part of the recording, as there is likely no ethical (if not legal) reason to do so. 

A reverse-angle camera would be useful to document/refute any claims of abuse, but it worked against some Texas troopers when their prisoner was the only one who commented when they encountered a wrong-way driver on the way to booking. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsYVts-VCl8   

[custosnox]

A reverse-angle camera would be useful to document/refute any claims of abuse, but it worked against some Texas troopers when their prisoner was the only one who commented when they encountered a wrong-way driver on the way to booking. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsYVts-VCl8   

And the worse part is that the one that notice is supposed to be drunk.  That one is funny

[patric]

They fired the cops involved in this dashcam-documented beating today, almost a year and a half after the incident:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RPVs4gFfr0
http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2009/05/five_birmingham_police_officer.html

Five Birmingham police officers have been fired for a January 2008 beating of an already-unconscious suspect with fists, feet and a billy club, a battering caught on videotape until a police officer turned off the patrol car camera, city and police officials said today. 

Authorities believe the video, taken after a high-speed chase by several area law enforcement agencies ended when the fleeing suspect's van flipped, has been seen by numerous Birmingham officers and up to a half dozen supervisors over the past year. But top city and police officials weren't made aware of the taped beating until they were contacted by the district attorney's office two months ago.

In fact, investigators say, the suspect, Anthony Warren, didn't even know he'd been beaten until the tape surfaced at his trial in March. Warren was ejected from the vehicle and knocked unconscious, and thought all of his injuries were sustained in the wreck.

Police Chief A.C. Roper called the video "shameful." Mayor Larry Langford said it was "disgusting."
Roper hasn't identified the officers. Four of them worked in the department's Vice and Narcotics Unit.

[MH2010]

   
MONDAY: Highway patrol spends more than $1.4 million on state-of-the-art cameras
   
By PAUL MONIES The Oklahoman
Published: 6/21/2009  2:38 PM
Last Modified: 6/21/2009  2:46 PM

The state Department of Public Safety has spent more than $1.4 million in the past year to outfit its patrol vehicles with state-of-the-art digital video cameras.

But access to footage from those cameras has been closed to the public by the Legislature at the agency’s request.

The cameras figured prominently in a recent skirmish between an Oklahoma Highway Patrol trooper and a paramedic from the Creek Nation ambulance service.

After the latest order of cameras is installed, the public safety department will have 368 WatchGuard DV-1 cameras in its patrol vehicles, said spokesman Capt. Chris West. Each video system costs more than $4,500.

The cameras are made by WatchGuard Video LLC of Plano, Texas. That company beat out three others last year, according to a review of bid documents. A Kansas vendor, Digital Ally, had a lower bid at $3,895 per camera but didn’t meet the agency’s specifications.

“It installs easily, and they have some attributes that some other cameras cannot meet,” Lt. Col. John Harris, deputy chief and director of the patrol’s transportation division, said of the WatchGuard camera. “It’s all-digital, which is such a plus with storage. It’s an expensive piece of equipment, but you get what you pay for. It’s a good product for law enforcement.”

1.4 milliion for 368 cameras?  Wow.  No wonder Tulsa won't spend the money for them.  The City of Tulsa can't afford them!