Colombia. The Colombian capital began a pilot plan with 400 body cameras "to guarantee transparency and security in police procedures" in the 75 quadrants of the Kennedy Police Station, one of the areas with the largest number of inhabitants in the city.
It is important to understand that the chosen zone (Kennedy) presents, according to the Secretary of Security, Coexistence and Justice of Bogotá, "special situations of security and coexistence, which must be controlled preventively." Hence, it seeks to confirm the transparency of the processes carried out by the uniformed, monitor compliance with established procedures, as well as promote respect between police and citizens.
According to an official statement "these cameras are configured to start recording immediately begins the service of the uniformed. They can't be turned off, or change their settings, allowing them to record all the performances they attend." Such video surveillance device is the body camera is a VB400 from Motorola Solutions.
The ceremony of delivery of the devices was chaired by Claudia López Hernández the mayor of Bogotá; , Óscar Gómez Heredia, Secretary of Security, Coexistence and Justice; and General Carlos Fernando Triana, commander of the Metropolitan Police of Bogotá.
According to the mayor "this type of technological support allows us to support faster the police who is attending a situation and is at risk, it also helps us to capture and prosecute members of the police who lose their way."
To this he added that they are fighting every day fighting against impunity to improve their security, and "with these cameras the procedures will be recorded, but they will also allow us to protect the lives of our police."
The mayor of Bogotá also indicated that the total investment in improving security included the investment of 48 billion pesos, with which they were able to acquire more than 3,800 state-of-the-art radios and 400 body cameras. Also, the president made a post on her Twitter account about it.
For his part, the Secretary of Security, Coexistence and Justice, explained that within the comprehensive plan that was designed for 2023, Kennedy was prioritized, "precisely because of the situation that is occurring in this sector of the city." In this sense, it is important to note that, as mentioned in the official statement, "this pilot will be the first step for the Metropolitan Police of Bogotá to formalize the use of body cameras in the exercise of its functions."
In addition, the commander of the Metropolitan Police of Bogotá assured that these cameras protect the police, the citizen and validate the procedure of our uniformed. In addition, he said that they are "a fundamental complement so that our police officers who are working 24/7 for the tranquility of Bogota have an additional tool and effectiveness in their service."
The official document describes that "the District, with the support of strategic ally Motorola, adapted a Digital Evidence Center of the Service at the Kennedy Police Station, where the devices will be charged and recharged, and the information collected will be transferred to the video surveillance system of Bogotá." Finally, this pilot plan will have an evaluation of its performance for one year "and according to the result, the implementation of this system in all localities will be studied."
