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Police Car Video Cameras Make Sense Financially

ByLegal Newsletter

In car police video systems

There is a lot of concern and thoughts around the safety of both police officers and the subjects they pull over. A lot of these concerns would be diminished with police car video cameras. However, in car police video systems can be expensive, and with so many police departments on strict financial budgets, they can be difficult to justify. What if police video cameras could save your department money in unique ways? What if you could justify the financial cost of these dash cams?

Reduction in legal fees
When a police officer is accused of foul play, there are often legal charges brought up. Even if there is little evidence in terms of the officer doing something illegally, they still need representation during the legal case. Although most police departments have legal teams on retainer, you could potentially reduce the need for these legal professionals with dash cams. When there is physical evidence in the form of police car video cameras, there is less debate surrounding each person?s story. In many cases, the accusation may never even make it to trial. When you factor in the legal costs of police misconduct charges, police car video cameras could potentially save the department a significant amount of money.

Reduction in wasting officer?s time
When there are legal charges against an officer, they might be required to take a leave of absence during the trial. They are also required to spend hours of their time in court and with their legal representation. Considering that much of this time is still paid, the police department might be responsible for paying double time. They have to cover the officer in question?s time, as well as a replacement officer during that time. Putting dash cams in police vehicles can save the department money by keeping officer?s on the street, instead of wasting time in court rooms.

Better understanding of training needs
A lot of police related mistakes are due to poor training. Sometimes, it can be difficult to fully evaluate an officer?s readiness to enter the city. When you use body cameras and police car video cameras, however, you are able to view all of the officer?s and their actions. Not only does this help with identifying problems in training, but it also encourages officer?s to follow procedures. In a recent Pew Research Center survey, 50% of officers said that body cameras would make police more likely to act appropriately. A better understanding of training needs can reduce high police officer turnover rates and reduce legal charges resulting from poor training.

Fewer department complaints and investigation needs
When a police department receives numerous complaints, someone has to be paid to further investigate those complaints. According to a recent study, police equipped with body cameras receive 93% fewer complaints from the public. This significant reduction in community complaints also means less need for investigation teams. Police departments can go back to focusing on more important matters, such as police training, and criminal recovery programs. One of the greatest benefits of police body cameras is the unity between police officers and the community, which can result in better budget strategies.

More and more police departments are learning of the benefits of police car video cameras and body cameras. Not only do the police officers themselves and the community members feel safer, but they can also save the city and the department money. The market for police car video cameras is expected to grow even more. The global dashboard camera market, in terms of revenue, was valued at US $1,458.2 Mn in 2013 and is forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 15.3% during the period from 2014 to 2020.

While some police departments might still find it difficult to budget financially, when you look at the numbers, it makes sense. High police complaint rates leads to high attorney and representation fees. It also leads to increased expenses of additional training programs, officer paid time off, and investigation teams. Reducing these occurrences can make it easy to justify the costs of police car video cameras over the long run.

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