As of this Tuesday (1), the Rio Grande do Sul Military Brigade began using body cameras. Porto Alegre was the first city covered by the new equipment. The government also announced the delivery of a thousand non-lethal electroshock weapons.
At an inauguration event for the new Military Police Operations Center (Copom), in the Cidade Baixa neighborhood in Porto Alegre, governor Eduardo Leite announced the resource allocated to the 9th Military Police Battalion (BPM), responsible for the central area of the capital.
Investments in security were a partnership between the state government and the Court of Justice of Rio Grande do Sul (TJRS). R$13.7 million were invested in body cameras and weapons; and R$1.3 million from TJRS for the new Copom.
Camera operation
The cameras used are programmed for uninterrupted recording. The images are transmitted in real time to the operating room.
During an action, agents are responsible for pressing a button that changes the configuration of the images. This happens because the equipment, by default, records images in low resolution. Activating a command allows audio and video to be captured in high quality.
This is the first batch with 300 cameras out of a total of a thousand pieces of equipment, with an announced investment of more than R$7 million.
The experimental project will be destined for the Education Department, for training new police officers until the end of the year. With the arrival of the other 700 pieces of equipment, BM intends to expand its use to all battalions in the capital.
Equipment function
In a statement during the event in the capital of Rio Grande do Sul, Leite stated that the implementation of equipment on police uniforms has the function of guaranteeing the context of the actions of security agents.
“The implementation of body cameras seeks to monitor the exercise of the State’s police power through the men and women who fulfill the role, but it also aims to give them tools to be able to present the context in which they acted when questioned. So, it’s security for both sides,” said Leite.
In addition to ensuring evidence of the actions of law enforcement agents, the government believes that during incidents, in the face of questioning, cameras have an inhibitory effect on those approached due to the awareness of recording the action on video.
The speech reinforces the need for investment in weapons, vehicles and equipment in Rio Grande do Sul, according to Leite.
“(..) We will be able to offer what is the population’s right: a safe State, where people can live in peace”, stressed the governor.
Results and trends
States in the North and Northeast regions of Brazil are those that have shown the most interest in joining the hiring body cameras , which must be registered by the Ministry of Justice and Public Security (MJSP).
Adherence to cameras must follow the new guideline, launched in May this year, which stipulates rules for using the equipment, such as mandatory use in actions and recording of incidents, as a way of guaranteeing effectiveness and respect for fundamental rights and guarantees.
Contrary to the MJSP’s determination, in Santa Catarina, the Military Police ended the use of body cameras, since September 16th. The corporation decided to end the current body camera project and begin a search for new technologies that are more efficient and suited to its needs.
In São Paulo, the announcement of the purchase of 12,000 body cameras with an “on and off” function for the PM was the target of criticism from experts, which brings a new functionality, giving police officers autonomy over when to operate them.
In response, the São Paulo management stated that on occasions where the cameras are not turned on for any reason, the agent responsible for dispatching the incident at Copom (Military Police Operations Center) must trigger the recording remotely.
This content was originally published in Brigada Militar do Rio Grande do Sul starts using body cameras on the CNN Brasil website.
Source: CNN Brasil
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