You military police from Rio de Janeiro will start using from this Friday (31), New Year’s Eve, cameras attached to their uniforms during the service.
Initially, 160 pieces of equipment will be distributed among PMs who will patrol the event and will act in Prohibition operations, in combating the use of alcoholic beverages by drivers.
So the Christmas Eve it will be a kind of “test event” for the implementation of equipment in the state of Rio de Janeiro.
In all, 21,571 body cameras were rented, at a cost of R$296 per unit. Other public safety agents such as firefighters and civil police will also use the equipment.
Data from the Public Security Institute (ISP) of the State of Rio de Janeiro show that 1,300 people died in Rio de Janeiro, between January and November 2021, due to the intervention of some State agent.
AT CNN, the Military Police of Rio states that 53 officers of the corporation died in 2021 in the state. In the same period, a civil police officer lost his life.
In addition to protecting servers in cases of false accusations, the use of the equipment will increase transparency and oversight of police actions.
According to PM Rodrigo Laviola, the expectation is that with the use of cameras there will be greater protection not only for police officers but for the entire population. On that first day, on the streets of Copacabana, the news pleased tourists and residents alike.
Similar initiatives were taken in Rondônia, Santa Catarina e São Paulo, a state in which the number of deaths as a result of police activity dropped 46% between July and October, compared to the same period in 2020.
A study carried out at Queen Mary University in London, based on the Santa Catarina experience, showed that the use of force during police incidents dropped 61% after the system was implemented. “In the presence of the camera, at least two things happen.
The citizen starts to behave better in front of the police, starts not to use force against a police officer or another citizen because he knows that there is a consequence and filmed evidence of that action.
Just like the policeman who adheres to the protocols of the Military Police, that is, he will curb the use of excessive force by the policeman. The combination of these two effects that generate this reduction in the use of force by 61%”, explained researcher and professor Pedro Souza.
In Rio, the project was sanctioned by Governor Cláudio Castro, starting with Copacabana. “Gradually, our police officers will have the necessary learning curve so that this technology can also be used in more risky operations.
The other secretariats and supervisory bodies and Civil defense that participate in this program are also establishing the timetable for the implementation of portable cameras”, said Castro.
According to the Secretary of Military Police, Colonel Luiz Henrique Marinho Pires, “the use of portable cameras is already part of the Corporation’s training scope so that everyone is able to use them. This equipment will give more protection to our actions and legal security for the police officers who are on the front lines”.
To access the equipment, the agent goes to an image reloading and storage center, where the face reading is performed. A compartment opens and the handheld camera is removed and placed in the agent’s uniform. Recording starts automatically when the equipment is released, and the camera shoots 12 hours straight.
There is a panic button that can be triggered so that the image starts to be captured in high resolution. In addition, the device allows for more efficient contact with the command center.
Images are stored for up to one year. The cameras do not allow editing or manipulation of images, which can be requested by control agencies.
For the Public Security coordinator of the Public Ministry of Rio, Reinaldo Lomba, “the monitoring system by individual cameras is an extremely important instrument for the improvement of public security.
Among other advantages, it is essential for the production of evidence of various crimes, for controlling the use of force and protecting the police. In other words, the use of cameras not only enables investigations into possible misconduct, but also protects the police from unfounded accusations”.
The Public Defender’s Office also agrees with the measure, however, it is concerned with the criteria for locating these cameras.
“They need to be placed in the uniforms of police officers who work in riot police, in areas with high lethality, and not in neighborhoods in the South Zone of Rio, where crime is usually low. But yes, it is an excellent method of reducing violence, if it works out”, said Daniel Lozoya, defender of the Nucleus for the Defense of the Human rights from Rio de Janeiro.
Reference: CNN Brasil
