Last Updated on 2 years by Honest Bikerz
The police use a variety of gadgets to keep the area safe. If you are interested in law and enforcement, then the thought of the tools of a cop may be one of your favorites. If you want to know, Do Motorcycle Cops Have Cameras? Then you are about to know almost everything. You will know about the body cam and helmet camera as well. Why they keep cameras in their arsenal and the benefits of this, stay with us.
Do motorcycle cops have cameras?
Yes, motorcycle cops have cameras. But police in all countries do not use cameras, at least in the united states. But in countries like Australia, cops have helmet-mounted cameras as part of their equipment. Police used cameras in traffic lights, stop signs, seatbelts, and cell phones to resolve conflicts.
The body-wearing cameras are very vulnerable in the United States. Only five states have passed laws stating where police should operate cameras and when related projects are in force in over a dozen states.
If you are in Scotland or Somewhere in the United Kingdom, you should find a motor cop with a body cam. But in the United States, more than 37 states have banned body cameras because they violate privacy laws.
Though a camera adds an extra set of eyes to make the roads safer from reckless driving and keeping the evidence protected from forging. Not all policemen get this asset on their patrolling gear.
What are their reasons and benefits?
The camera has some super benefits for both the police and civilians. A camera just adds one more eye to the law enforcement servant. A human can not keep the focus on everything at a time but a camera can do that without any complaint. A human can lie, but cameras won’t. Even the civilians have approved the use of the camera now.
With a plus point, some states provide benefits to bikers in terms of insurance for using a helmet camera.
Decreasing Rate of Complain
If you look at the recent survey from Cambridge University, we can see that the complaining rate has fallen 93% down after utilizing body cameras. Both the civilians and Policeman can prove their statements from that footage a body cam captures.
It is not unlikely that a corrupt officer just accuses a civilian of nothing or a criminal accusing police of abuse. But this can all shatter like glass with the help of a body cam footage. So, it is highly beneficial to decrease the street crime rate.
Clear View of the Crime Scene
It’s not unlikely to miss any spot from the crime scene. Police are also human. But a high definition camera can take the cleanest image from the scene in between breaths.
Detailed View of Evidence
While taking notes, you can miss any details that can be important evidence. But with recorded footage from a body camera or motorbike camera, authorities can rewind and check for evidence.
Identification of the Guilty
Accident can happen in just a blink of an eye, yet there has to be someone who is to blame for the incident. If a police officer starts using a camera in his patrolling gear, he will identify who to blame for any accident.
Not just that suppose you are drinking and driving, but you just get out of your hangover, then your driving won’t be the best. With a camera on a motorbike, a cop can record and identify a rider’s behavior.
Decrease Reckless and Irresponsible Driving
Some people just get rid of any messy situation, even doing something wrong. Taking a shot on a cop and running is not unfamiliar. So, if cops start using the camera on their bike, it will impact the mind of thugs before doing something dangerous.
Also, those who break the law and use it for their benefit will have to stop doing so. As camera footage will go directly to the police server, there will be less chance of doing something illegal by both the policemen and suspects.
Can motorcyclists wear a camera on their helmets?
The answer is both Yes and No. It varies by country and state. The issue started in 2015 when a rider from Victoria, Australia, was fined 249$ Australian dollars for mounting a camera on his helmet. After that, he posted it on social media, and it made a move around the world.
Not in any laws of Australia or even in the US can you not use a camera on a helmet. Though, there are some conditions. The law says the helmet extension can be a maximum of 5mm, but that is for manufacturers, not aftermarket gadgets.
If you want to use a camera on your helmet, you can’t make any permanent modification. For example, if you drill a hole into your helmet to affix a camera, that is illegal. Also, you can use Adhesive or Velcro straps. These materials can deform the helmet. And the law will use it against you.
However, to keep it balanced for both law enforcement and civilians, motorcyclists can mount a camera using a mounting clamp or wire straps. And technology has always been thought to benefit users. So you may find magnet mounting cameras that you can use on metal frame helmets.
Do all cops have to wear body cameras?
Well, that’s not the case in the USA. The question of using body cameras arose on taking down George Floyd by the police of Minnesota. Civilians protested to keep body cameras, on-duty officers.
The American Politician and retired law enforcement member Susan Deschambault again took a step to question the authorities to add a body camera on the Police department. Yet, the states and law enforcement authority just suppressed her demand.
But it’s not stopped in all states. National Conference of State Legislatures says five states require the police to wear a body camera. South Carolina, Connecticut, Nevada, California, and Florida, these five states, follow the rule of using body cameras.
The limits to get a camera is not just for low-rank police officers. Anyone who is a lieutenant or even higher must use a body camera on duty.
What percentage of cops wear body cameras?
Body cameras came to use in 2005 as an experiment by the American police. But the tragedy in 2014 in Furguson, Missouri, a black young man Micheal Brown was shot by a white policeman.
After that incident, President Barak Obama issued a 23 Million $ bill to get a body mount camera for the Police department. Now all the states haven’t accepted this saying a camera won’t change a policeman’s behavior, yet five states had to take it.
In those five states, more than 500 officers had body mount cameras. And if we calculate it with the active policemen in these areas that’s a massive 70% of them.
Can civilians wear body cameras?
As long as a civilian doesn’t break any laws, the use of body cam is alright. Anyone can use a body cam unless the state has a specific ruleset for that. And if you are interrupting any privacy, a body camera is allowed to use.
Wherever someone can take a regular camera, the body camera is also allowed there, especially for the vloggers. Most vloggers use both third-person view and first-person view on their video. So unless you are not into any private residence or somewhere which has its privileges like a shop’s body, cams are good to go.
How long do police keep body cam videos?
Police cam videos can be the most effective evidence from any incident. If any case starts very late, the court may shut that down before it even opens properly for the lack of evidence. But if the police cam records an event that can stay for a long time.
When the court takes the devices like a body-worn cam or car dashcam, they keep it for 180 days at maximum. This is the time any court needs to retrieve any evidence from the device.
But the evidence from the camcorder stays much longer. No matter what the case is, Road Accidents, Criminal Investigation, Use of Illegal Power, or even Pending Cases the footage from a body cam is kept for 30 months. That’s a recommendation by law.
Is it illegal to wear a body camera at work?
The answer depends on where you are working. Every industry has its privacy and privileges. As a citizen, you have all the rights to use a camera anywhere if you are not breaking any laws.
However, if the company you work for doesn’t allow a camera in the workstation, that is breaking privacy. Especially in the food industry. Food recipes are secrets, and some people don’t let anyone know about their ingredients.
Suppose you are trying to take footage of the manufacture without any permission that can be illegal according to your state’s law. Rather than that, it is legit to take a body cam to your work. Because no states have this kind of rule where you can’t take a camera at work.
If you can take a regular camera or smartphone at your work, so you can take a body-worn camera.
Do motorcycle cops have radar?
Some motorcycle cops have radar, and some don’t. It is not necessary to show you the radar. Usually, the radars are fixed on any roadside poles or the roof of surveillance towers. And some cops have a handheld radar to check the speed.
Well, nowadays, the new motorbikes for cops have inbuilt radar on them. And some bikes have the mountable specification on them, so you can install a radar from the aftermarket.
In some states, the cops can’t even lock if you are overspeeding. When you are on the traffic court, it’s just your word against the police.
What different kinds of speeders do you find?
This thought may come to your mind about which kind of speed gun the law enforcement uses. And for your information, there are two kinds of guns used by the cops. One is the radar gun, and the other is the Laser gun. Both of them have their functionality.
A radar gun uses magnetic waves to detect the speed. It sends a wave towards the speeding car and receives the bounced back wave. From the time and distance of the wave, it gives a reading of the vehicle’s speed.
On the other hand, the laser gun sends a light pulse. The technology uses the speed of light to measure the actual speed of the car. Modern laser gun comes with two types of feature.
One type of laser gun can measure the speed of a car, and also, it can jam the increasing speed. This prevents the driver from increasing speed and runs away. But the other type of gun just indicates either the rider is overspeeding or not. Because it is much riskier to prevent speed forcefully, and that is not smooth.
Conclusion
Though the police have the option to use the camera as a tool for an investigation, it’s not a one-way policy. Both the officer and the suspect have to give their consent before taking it in front of the camera. It is a law of some states that any surveillance camera can only record video. Recording audio without consent is directly a violation of the rule. We hope you got your answer to the question about Do Motorcycle Cops Have Cameras.