NYPD yanks new-model body cameras after one explodes
By Larry Celona and Tina Moore
New York Post
October 21, 2018
The NYPD is yanking all of the new-model body cameras worn by nearly 3,000 officers after one of the devices exploded Saturday night because of a faulty battery, according to police.
The officer had arrived at the 121st Precinct on Staten Island at 11:30 p.m. for his midnight-to-8 a.m. shift when his body cam “started smoking” and then burst into flames, a police source said Sunday.
“He knocked it off his shirt and it caught fire,” the source said. “There is actually video of it on fire.”
Smoke began pouring out of the bottom of the device — a Vievu model LE-5, the NYPD said in a statement Sunday.
“The incident revealed a potential for the battery inside the camera to ignite,” the NYPD said. “The cause and scope of the defect are currently being investigated.”
The officer was not injured.
“It’s a technical glitch,” said the source.
Cops at the 121st Precinct shrugged off the harrowing incident.
“We’re so scared,” one cracked as he headed inside.
The NYPD has instructed all 2,990 officers who wear the LE-5 model to cease using them and warned against storing them in their department lockers, according to police sources.
Instead, the cameras should be placed on a docking station at the station houses.
“Out of an abundance of caution, the Police Commissioner has directed that the continued use and distribution of the LE-5 model cameras be suspended effective immediately,” the NYPD said.
The officers will go without wearing a body camera in the interim.
“We are working closely with the NYPD to investigate this issue,” said Sydney Siegmeth, a spokeswoman for Axon, which owns Vievu. “The officer was not injured, however, officer safety is of the utmost importance to Axon. We will do whatever is necessary to quickly and safely resolve this situation.”
The specific LE-5 model is used by 15 precincts, two transit districts, one public-housing command and the police academy, department sources said.
They are among 15,500 total body cams currently in use by the NYPD, which rolled out its program in April 2017.
Initially, about 1,300 officers on evening shifts in 20 precincts across the city outfitted with the recording devices.
The entire force is expected to be equipped with them by the end of 2018.
1 comment:
I've worn a body cam. One of the things that bothered me was how hot the lithium battery got when it was charging. Of course, the majority of the batteries are probably made in China. I just don't know how good their quality control inspections are.
Ever heard of a cheap Chinese knock off?
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