New city police cruisers to include video cameras
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Video cameras will be mounted in at least 27 new police cruisers expected to roam the streets in upcoming weeks, a technological first for Pittsburgh police.
"It's going to help everybody," fleet operations Sgt. Gordon McDaniel said yesterday. "If you know you're being recorded, you're going to act accordingly."
The cameras will roll as soon as a car's emergency lights are activated, but also can be controlled by a remote on an officer's belt. Footage will aid investigations and can help when complaints are filed against officers, among other uses, he said.
More cars will get cameras down the line; Zones 5 and 6 will be fully outfitted with the devices by the end of the year, Sgt. McDaniel said.
The additional cars come as part of a $9.1 million plan to tune up the city of Pittsburgh's 1,000-vehicle fleet. The department will add 72 new cruisers, 30 motorcycles and seven wagons for a cost of about $2.9 million.
The purchase includes 45 front-line cars and 27 unmarked cars, some of which could hit the street as soon as next week, Sgt. McDaniel said. Others are being detailed and outfitted with colors, emblems and standard emergency features before they are deployed.
Each of the cars also will be equipped with laptop computers, police spokeswoman Diane Richard said.
"We've never bought this many at a time in as long as I can remember," Sgt. McDaniel said. The purchase eases a vehicle shortage that, he said, has left officers without cars or forced them to share, and will bring the fleet closer to 300 vehicles.
An internal Police Bureau report last year found a need for 312 vehicles and an inventory of just 267, including 67 that were out of service.
The department "goes through cars faster than we can replace them," Sgt. McDaniel said, with officers putting more than 1,000 miles each week on the cars.
Ms. Richard said a contractor will evaluate the overall fleet to determine which cars can be retained.
First Published September 3, 2008 12:00 am
