Editorial: Keeping an eye on the law and the lawless

The Pittsburgh Police could soon be under a more careful watch.

City Councilman… The Pittsburgh Police could soon be under a more careful watch.

City Councilman Ricky Burgess recently proposed legislation that would have the city install video cameras and audio recording devices in all new police cars with the eventual goal of adding the equipment to all cars within five years, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Already 32 vehicles have had cameras installed, but the force has around 300 vehicles. The cameras could provide live feed and recordings of what’s happening out there with the officers, Burgess said. The cameras, though expensive — police in Cranberry are paying $4,800 per camera — provide more than just a means to document the adrenaline-infused chases as seen on COPS.

Crimes and incidents involving police officers can get messy. The cameras and recording equipment could help police avoid false accusations. This equipment could provide concrete evidence as opposed to verbal account of what really happened during an arrest or other criminal incident and can also help prevent any sort of false allegations. Potential criminals might also be less inclined to do anything criminal or inappropriate toward officers if they’re being recorded. If the police department handles any incriminating recordings, they need to be unbiased, even if the recording isn’t in favor of the police.

Just last month, three plainclothes police officers allegedly used excessive force while arresting 18-year-old Jordan Miles of Homewood, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Police suspected he had a concealed gun. It turned out to be a Mountain Dew bottle. Miles ended up hospitalized, his face covered in bruises.

The Citizens Police Review Board was formed in 1997 in response to citizens’ dissatisfaction with police conduct. The board’s job is to investigate complaints from citizens regarding improper police action.

Although the streaming footage wouldn’t always be recording — the equipment automatically records if the car reaches a certain speed or crashes, the doors open or the sirens are turned on — officers would be under watch. Unsurprisingly, some officers have shown discontent over such surveillance. Yet perhaps it’s the officers that need to be watched over the most.

Even though not all the officers on duty were Pittsburgh Police officers, students have had a tarnished relationship with authorities since the G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh in September. Amid the chaos engulfing Oakland those nights, many students questioned officers’ seemingly excessive use of force.

Video cameras and recording devices affixed to police vehicles probably wouldn’t influence actions of, say, the plainclothes officers on the streets in Homewood who are not riding in a police car. Nor could they be of much use in the riot-control scenarios surrounding the G-20 summit — of which much was already documented on video. Yet this equipment is crucial because they’ll take a step toward keeping an eye on the law, and the — potentially — lawless.