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The Fortuna Police Department recently acquired four Vidmic devices. These communication devices work much like a shoulder microphone but carry a full-color digital video and audio recorder and can take still photos.
Several of Fortuna Police Department officers are now equipped with new technology. It's an all-in-one communication device and it allows officers to record video evidence.
The Fortuna Police Department has enthusiastically begun the deployment of the Vidmic device (video/microphone) -- a crucial risk-management tool which is integrated into an officer's portable radio microphone; able to record up to three-hours of audio and full color video, along with still photographs. The Fortuna Police Department has purchased a total of four Vidmics to be used by sworn-personnel working uniformed field assignments.
The Fortuna Police Department currently has some of its patrol vehicles equipped with digital video cameras with remote microphones. However, it has been found that these systems do have some limitations. They cannot record video of an officer in a residence, in the back yard or down the dark alley.
Officer Charles Ellebrecht of the Fortuna Police Department said that the Vidmic will routinely be worn by officers and they will have this essential tool with them to accurately document events as they occur. The video is date-time stamped, downloaded into electronic files to be preserved and cannot be deleted. The funding for this technology was obtained with a grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
A study completed by the International Association of Chiefs of Police found that when a video record of an incident was available, that video record exonerated officers of allegations more than 96 percent of the time.
That same study also revealed that video provided other significant monetary and efficiency benefits such as a reduction in frivolous lawsuits, increased likelihood of prosecution, reduced court appearance time for officers, enhanced officer safety, enhanced in-service training from post-incident review of video, and simplified incident review