It’s been almost three years since the Renton Police Department began installing cameras in its police cars and already the system is paying dividends.

Presently, there are 18 Renton police cars with the cameras and that has been enough to already begin to see the effects, not just for the police, but also saving the city some money in terms of liability insurance, according to Renton risk manager Gary Lamb.

At a recent presentation to the City Council’s Committee of the Whole, Lamb credited the cameras with helping lower the city’s liability insurance. Lamb said it was only his opinion the dash cams are making a difference, but added the cameras and their footage have been used on several claims against the city, bolstering the city’s case. He also said the threat of using the camera footage has also shut down several claims that were pending.

“It keeps people honest,” Lamb said. “There’s no arguing with a camera.”

Detective Chris Edwards said the cameras, which are mounted both near the rearview mirror facing forward as well as inside facing the backseat, are used for traffic stops, enforcement actions and any other time an officer may fear for their safety or liability issues.

“The system is there to protect the officer, the city and the citizen,” Edwards said.

The cameras were first installed in the summer of 2010 and cost $400 each, according to spokesperson Preeti Shridhar. Police can activate the cameras anytime from a touch screen located near the rearview mirror and they automatically activate on certain cues, such as when the officer activates the light bar or sirens or unlock the car’s guns.

Police also carry a wireless microphone that syncs with the car’s hard drive so they can record any incident. Recording cannot be stopped from the pack, however.

Edwards said the video is “extremely helpful” to the police as they work on cases, because the videos are placed on the department’s server and are accessible.

“We as detectives will use it to review the photos or video,” he said.

Edwards said the recordings can be helpful to catch the “excited utterances” of domestic violence victims before they can change their statements as well as anything a suspect might say during transport.

“This increases our accuracy tenfold,” he said.

Edwards said he would also use the system to catalog items he would remove from a suspect during a search, holding each up in view of the camera and describing it for the record. Its comes in handy, he said, at the King County Superior Court when a jury and prosecutors can actually see an item like a gun or a stolen credit card come out of a suspect’s pocket.

“It’s a wonderful tool,” Edwards said. “It reinforces the information officers write in their report and what victims and witnesses say.”

Edwards said a statement is also sometimes very cold and impersonal, whereas a jury can actually see the emotions on a video.

Edwards said because of distrust of police, it pays to use the cameras on every incident and contact.

“You never know what that person is going to do or going to say or going to accuse,” he said.

Because Washington state law requires that both parties know if a recording is being taken, the police announce at the beginning of a stop that the incident is being recorded. Edwards said most drivers “welcome” the video, because it ensures the stop will be recorded accurately.

Edwards said the videos are also helpful at large chaotic scenes, because it gives officers a chance to review the incident under calmer circumstances.

From a liability standpoint, Lamb said there are no direct statistics on claims involving the dash cams, but police liability claims to the city have been decreasing since the cams were installed.

In 2010, for example, the city received 19 police liability claims. In 2011, that number dropped to 12. In 2012, it was down to 10.

A claim does not necessarily mean the city was found liable or incurred any expense, simply that one was brought forward.

But Lamb also recounted a specific incident where the cameras saved the city money. According to Lamb, Renton police were recently involved in a two-car accident that left a police vehicle totaled. After the video was presented to the other motorist’s insurance company, the claim was settled in the city’s favor.

“That insurer at first wanted to settle on a 50/50 basis,” Lamb said. “After a review of the video the insurer agreed to pay 100 percent of the city’s damages. The savings to the city was significant and can be credited to the presence of a dash cam.”

Because of the success of the system – and the savings in the city’s insurance coffers – the city is installing another 10 cameras in the near future, bringing the total to 28.

“Everyone likes having them,” Edwards said. “It’s definitely beneficial to us.”

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