AREA DEPUTIES WILL RECEIVE VIDEOCAMERAS; DEVICES CAN RECORD TRAFFIC STOPS.

Byline: Teresa Jimenez Daily News Staff Writer

Local sheriff's deputies soon will be able to videotape routine traffic stops up close, which may provide evidence in proceedings involving drunk driving charges or in disputes over a deputy's conduct.

``Probably the biggest advantage is that it provides indisputable evidence of a deputy's word in court,'' said Capt. Don Rodriguez.

The Santa Clarita station will get six of the cameras in the next few weeks.

Though some Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department patrol cars have been equipped with video cameras, COPCAMs are different in that deputies actually wear cameras the size of a small cellular telephone, said Deputy Steve Perez, who was instrumental in starting the program.

The small cameras give an up-close view that was previously unavailable, Perez said.

In experimental uses at other stations ``there was some resistance,'' Perez said. ``But in a short time, it cleared up several accusations. In one situation, they needed a lead, and the tape helped with information.''

To operate the COPCAM, a deputy flips a switch on the small box he wears on top of his shirt, Perez said. The transmitter, antennas and batteries are worn in a lightweight nylon vest placed over body armor but under the shirt.

If he switches the camera off, or goes out of the transmission distance of a few hundred feet, the car camera automatically activates, Perez said. The car camera cannot be turned off unless the deputy returns to the car, he said.

With a range of 360 degrees, the car cameras can follow an officer as he walks around. The officer also wears a microphone, so conversation is recorded during the stop, Rodriguez said.

Because of the cost - $6,400 each - only a few of the cars will have the equipment installed, Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez said he will ask for volunteers to participate in the new program.

``If a person isn't happy with the service they get, we'll have video documentation of it,'' Rodriguez said. ``In a drunk driving situation, the tape can be used in court to show what happened.''

Rodriguez said he would like to have the cameras installed in every car. Besides the courtroom advantages, they should comfort drivers who know the officers are being watched, he said. And deputies should like them because they provide proof in heated situations, he said.

The cameras also could serve as a deterrent as the public becomes more aware of them, Rodriguez said. Drivers might be less likely to be rude or abusive if they know they're being watched, he said.

``It won't be much of a deterrent at first, but as knowledge spreads, it will,'' Rodriguez said. ``I think it will build confidence in drivers.''

For the skeptics out there, no, officers cannot edit the tapes to their advantage, Rodriguez said. The tapes will be time- and date-stamped, he said. And Perez said the tapes are locked in vault-like containers in the trunk of the patrol cars.

Even representatives from the American Civil Liberties Union said they don't have a problem with the devices.

Deputies, however, can choose not to turn on the recorder when making a traffic stop, Rodriguez said. And deputies can go out of range of the cameras.