CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – Traffic enforcers here just got high-tech with the provision of top-of-the-line body cameras as part of their work gear.
This, the city public order and safety coordinating office said, is part of stepping up its protection and transparency efforts for its law enforcement operations.
The cameras were presented during a simultaneous operation of enforcers on Wednesday in different critical areas for road and traffic violations in the city.
“Ang mga body-worn camera ay malaking proteksyon para sa ating mga enforcer na kung saan mababantayan natin ‘yung mga nangyayari sa kalsada, kabilang na yung interaction nila sa publiko. Lalo na at isang metikulong proseso ang apprehension sa mga violators natin,” explained CPOSCO supervising administrative officer Joselito Ortaliz, Jr.
He added that the cameras will be of big help in fulfilling the enforcers’ duties as models of discipline and transparency for the public: “Dahil sila ang tagapagtupad ng batas, kailangan sa sarili nila mismo ay may disiplina rin. Sa pagkakaroon ng body camera, magkakaroon ng monitoring ang ating tanggapan sa mga aktibidad ng ating mga enforce.”
The city government initially purchased 14 units of body cameras with 2.4-inch display, 180 degrees rotatable lens, 1080p high–definition video output, and battery life that can last up to 10 hours with continuous recording.
For the next procurement, the CPOSCO plans to add at least 30 units and will go on until all 120 personnel are provided with body cams.
Mayor Edwin “EdSa” Santiago sees this new development as yet another stride towards his administration’s goal of making San Fernando a “smart and technology-driven city.”
Enthused Santiago: “Nais ko pong ipahayag ang aking pagkatuwa dahil, unti-unti, nakakamit natin yung adhikain natin na maging smart at technology-driven city, dahil sa bagong proyektong ito ng ating CPOSCO. Pero ang pagiging smart at technology-driven city ay hindi lang makukuha sa pagkakaroon ng mga high-end na kagamitan, kung hindi dapat maayos din ang pamamalakad at paggamit sa mga ito ng ating mga tauhan na manggagaling naman sa kanilang disiplina.”
With built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth features, the cameras will be linked to the City Command and Control Center in San Isidro to supplement the existing hundreds of closed-circuit television or CCTV, bullet, and PTZ (pan, tilt, zoom) cameras.
With this, the cameras will be used not only in capturing the enforcers’ transactions with the public but also in capturing responses to different incidents occurring along major roads and thoroughfares.
Articulating the gratitude of the traffic enforcers for their new gadget, CPOSCO operations officer John Marvin Gervacio said: “Gusto po naming magpasalamat sa ating lokal na pamahalaan sa pagbibigay sa amin ng mga kagamitang ito. Sa tulong po nito, masisiguro yung safety at fairness sa aming mga nanghuhuli ng violators at siyempre, yung mga mismong violators din.”
The CPOSCO will be handling the daily collection of camera footages from the enforcers to undergo extraction, review, and archiving procedures.
For the period of January to December 2020, the CPOSCO recorded a total of 18,625 violations from a total of 17,720 violators, 5,843 of which were identified as Fernandinos while the other 11,877 were non-residents.
