As George Orwell foresaw in his sci-fi classic “1984,” Big Brother is watching — and listening.
Like it or not, we live in an age of surveillance where privacy is the exception rather than the rule.
A quick look around on any street corner in America will reveal multiple cameras, both public and private, collecting footage of everything within their field of vision. As shown on many true crime shows, it’s hard to go anywhere without being detected on camera.
Add in such things as E-ZPass and cell phones, and a person’s every move can be examined.
As more and more police departments expand their use of the surveillance equipment, not everyone is a fan, to put it lightly.
However, we see the equipment they’re using on the officers and in the patrol cars as a good thing. The trend toward law enforcement’s use of first dash-mounted cameras and now body-worn cameras is meant to protect the public from any mistreatment, perceived or otherwise, at the hands of the police as well as safeguard the officers from false claims of abuse.
These cameras are becoming commonplace in our local communities. We are glad to see the expansion in places such as Ocean City and Northfield, which just got a grant to buy more cameras.
Patrolman William Van Pelt of the Northfield Police Department recently discussed how his body-worn camera, which also records audio, is an effective tool when investigating the scene of a noise complaint. (See story, page A1.) He said as soon as he hears the noise when approaching the property, he turns on his device to show how far away from the home the sound is audible. The evidence is important.
This footage is uploaded to the department’s server as soon as the officer arrives at the station and is stored for a minimum of 180 days for use during penal proceedings.
Van Pelt also related how the technology protects police, saying he once was the subject of an internal affairs complaint from a woman who claimed he falsely ticketed her for distracted driving.
When authorities watched footage from the incident, it clearly showed the woman was on her phone while driving, fully exonerating the officer.
Northfield Police Chief Paul Newman said he likes the transparency the technology provides.
Both men said a further benefit of the technology is capturing a scene from multiple angles. Every officer on the scene would have his or her own body-worn camera and each police cruiser would have a dash camera. All of the footage from every camera is time-stamped, allowing for the chief to piece together everything caught on audio or video for a more accurate picture of what took place.
So the next time you get pulled over in Northfield, know that everything that happens, good or bad, is being recorded for everyone’s safety.