Body cameras on uniforms will discredit the police – Dagsavisen

After the Police Affairs Office issued an indictment (Dagbladet) Against the officer who subjected Kevin Simensen to serious violence The debate over body cameras in the police has flared up again.

Many countries are already using this technology. Because body cameras can document episodes of violence, Many politicians in parliament Dagbladet now raised the question of whether Norway should not do the same.

Without video evidence, Siemensen’s case would likely be dismissed. In cases where routine violations are exposed, video evidence is often crucial to a conviction. Having said that, it’s usually the crowd shots that are crucial, not the police shots.

Although the police enjoy a high level of trust among the population, agency surveys show that trust is much lower among people who belong to a minority group. And not without reason. in a report Launched by the Ombudsman for Equality and Discrimination, it shows that minorities are overrepresented when it comes to arrest and verification.

Since I know very well what a police prescribing looks like, I asked myself questions about whether technology could lead to less discrimination. If the goal is to increase confidence in the police, I can say with certainty that politicians are on the wrong track.

Many studies have concluded this Body cams are not an effective remedy against excessive use of force or discrimination. Nor is it true that technology works so well in terms of reducing unacceptable behavior by the police.

Do we really want to equip the police with body cameras and facial recognition tools, when we know that technology affects different groups in different ways?

Another drawback is that a lot Administrators use discretion To consider when the camera is turned on and off. At the same time, there are few guidelines on how to use body cameras, let alone what penalties to resort to if they are not complied with.

What is even more disturbing, however, is that the police authorities have done so in many cases The video recording has been tampered with. This is well documented. Instead of creating increased transparency, the introduction of body cameras could contribute to weakening the legal security of citizens.

I have no doubt that tampering with evidence also takes place in Norway. It’s no coincidence that these days my Facebook feed contains calls to configure the iPhone to ask for eye contact to unlock.

In the Simensen case The police deleted the evidence Put the witness’s phone in front of his face. The argument that the Norwegian police stand out favorably from other countries is no longer valid. I think more and more people are discovering this.

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But what many don’t know is that it was implemented A pilot project with a body camera in Norway in 2015. In an internal report from the Oslo Police District* (Dagsavisen has seen the aforementioned report, Journal.anm.), it appears that many officers have concerns when it comes to the expectations that the use of cameras may create regarding visibility.

Failure to register can be interpreted as a sign of guilt. Therefore, the report concludes, the use of cameras to build trust will be difficult to achieve.

It’s not just body cameras that are a problem. More and more police authorities are using it Facial recognition technology and artificial intelligence To identify and monitor people in public places.

When new guidelines for facial recognition were under consultation with the European Privacy Council last year, KRIPOS noted that the current regulations are very strict It can place unnecessary restrictions on police work.

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I can’t say that enough times. Body cameras along with facial recognition tools are a threat to privacy and basic human rights.

Research shows that minorities in particular suffer the negative consequences of this type of technology. For example 35 percent more likely Facial recognition technology can mistake a black woman for a white man.

In other words, technology increases the risk of minorities being misidentified. This, in turn, can lead to false arrests.

Do we really want to equip the police with body cameras and facial recognition tools, when we know that technology affects different groups in different ways?

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