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[ The Video Agenda ]
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Forensic video gets specialized
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by Mark J. Pescatore
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Sometimes the simple questions are the most telling, as illustrated at the annual Law Enforcement and Emergency Services Video Association conference last month in Idaho. LEVA president (and GVExpo keynote speaker) Mike Fergus confirmed suspicions when he polled a group of more than 100 law enforcement video professionals during the opening ceremonies.
By a show of hands, he asked how many people were primarily involved in video production. A few hands raised. When asked how people were forensic video professionals, the number of hands was significantly larger.
There has been a shift in the law enforcement video community over the past five years. It's nothing new to regular LEVA attendees. I've watched the production classes attendance dwindle, while the forensic classes draw standing room only.
Why the shift? The smart money is on money. In a post-9/11 world, it's much easier to convince bean counters to spend taxpayer dollars on forensic video analysis rather than training videos. Mind you, training videos are important, but elected officials are more interested in catching and convicting bad guys. Forensic video is simply the sexier investment.
Different Objectives
With all this emphasis on forensic video, it's no surprise that the analysts are starting to specialize. According to Avid Technology's forensic video guru Grant Fredericks, there are two main factions in the industry: technicians and analysts.
Technicians are the early case investigators, explained Mike Mannion, manager of the Visual Evidence Unit of the New York County District Attorney's Office. For example, if there's a homicide, investigators cover an area looking for witnesses, including silent witnesses (also known as video). The first 24 hours of an investigation are the most important for on-the-spot forensic video analysis, as they help identify suspects for officers and the media.
"It's a starting stage of a prosecution," added Steve Jones, part of the Forensic Video Analysis Detail of the Edmonton Police Service in Alberta, Canada. "Video is becoming an increasingly critical part of that investment."
"Once an arrest is made, then your analysis expands," Mannion continued. That's where the analysts come in, the experts who concentrate on case preparation. At this stage, forensic video analysis becomes more like storytelling. With the suspect identified, you try to recreate their activities before, during, and after the incident, potentially with footage from more than one source.
Whether it's down and dirty IDs for officers or well crafted storytelling for a jury, forensic video analysis starts, of course, with video. Do you know where your local video sources are? Jones and his department are big into community policing, and they're building a database of potential video surveillance sources to help with future investigations.
If you want your forensic video investment to pay dividends, you need to get your department to start building a database of businesses, hospitals, and other locations with CCTV systems. Find out how they record their footage (VHS, DVR, etc.) and how long they retain their surveillance footage. Better to start the process now than scramble after the fact.
Get Educated
If you didn't get the chance to attend the LEVA conference, the organization is presenting three sessions as part of the Government Video Conference Program at GVExpo, which runs Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC. Show floor access is free for registered attendees, but there is a fee to attend the Government Video Conference Program, which includes access to the Law Enforcement Track on Dec. 1.
One area that's really taking off is cell phone imagery. I talked with Dorothy Stout at LEVA last month. She's the owner of Resolution Video and an internationally recognized digital video expert who will conduct the "Show and Cell" session at GVExpo. Not only do potential witnesses take pictures and videos with their phones, but criminals often use their own phones to document their crimes for "bragging rights." Amazing. No wonder she told me cell phone imagery is "the next big evidentiary collector for law enforcement from the public."
If we learned anything from last month's article on the London Metropolitan Police's use of surveillance footage in the wake of the July 7 bombings (online now if you can't find your issue), it's the importance of managing video evidence. Fredericks will demonstrate how to gather, process, and categorize footage during his session, "Managing Video for Intelligence and Homeland Security Operations."
The final session of the day comes from Signalscape, a company that provides a number of forensic video solutions. Senior engineer Steve Goodridge will discuss "Video and Audio Processing for Field Operatives," which will address how video and audio clarifications are now being conducted in real-time operations in the field. My thanks to LEVA for assembling another outstanding program for our show.
As you'll read in this issue, there's plenty to see at GVExpo -- networking opportunities, a silent auction, outstanding training options, hundreds of exhibitors, and more. It's the largest professional video event on the East Coast, and it's better than ever. Hope to see you there.
Mark J. Pescatore is the editor. Contact him at mpescatore@cmp.com.
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