HPD considers buying cameras for Tasers

KPRC-2 reports that HPD has found yet another new money-spending opportunity:

The use of tasers by police officers has been at the center of controversy in Houston and across the country. To hopefully quiet critics, the Houston Police Department is considering putting cameras on all tasers. While the department hopes the cameras will help justify the use of the weapons, some officers question whether the results will justify the expense

[snip]

"Anytime we use them, we are confronting individuals who are so out of control and displaying such violent behavior that the officers don't have any other option," said Lt. Robert Manzo with the Houston Police Department.

To hopefully settle the debate, the Houston Police Department is strongly considering purchasing tiny cameras for every taser in the department.

The new cameras are actually part of a modified battery pack, which can record up to 90 minutes of both audio and video.

[snip]

Each camera costs $400. If the department decides to put cameras on all 3,700 tasers, that's nearly $1.5 million.

Isiah Carey got a heads up on this taser camera program a few days ago from an HPD officer who worries that the expenditure will cut into funds for basic policing needs.

Posted by Anne Linehan @ 04/19/06 07:16 AM | Houston Miscellany | Technorati | Sphere | Comments (5)

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