Body cams okay, but how to go about it?

Cops will have to undergo training in operating cameras and storing the data

Hyderabad: With plans afoot to equip Telangana State Police with body cameras, speculations are rife about how these gadgets are going to provide greater protection to the cops from false claims of misconduct and improve accountability. At the same time, the top brass are a worried lot as to where to store all the data acquired by these cameras.

According to sources, the initial costs of purchasing the cameras can be exorbitant and the data storage is the most expensive feature of a body-worn camera.

Though widely hailed as a good move, senior police officials are now trying to figure out several issues associated with the use of body cameras. The questions plaguing the top cops are: What if the public challenges any case in a court of law or wants to view the footage? How and where is the data to be stored? Who should be allowed to access the data and who will review and retrieve it to assess if it is in compliance with Police Department policies and procedures, said a senior police official.

“Our aim is to improve accountability and absolutely leave no room for allegation,” Telangana Director General of Police (DGP) Anurag Sharma said adding that a body-worn camera would cost anywhere between Rs 1.5 to Rs 2 lakh. He said people could post their suggestions, opinions and ideas on Telangana State Police Facebook account or send them to [email protected] email id, but unfortunately so far the police had not received any kind of feedback. The DGP said this was the situation when police social media was available 24x7.

Though the State police say the strategy will improve accountability, technology-related procedures should be followed religiously and the impact will increase only when the enforcement bodies adopt the appropriate technology. For this, the authorities need to inculcate the much-required training to the entire field-level police personnel.