Video cameras help cops

IDAHO FALLS — In court, she looked harmless: a teary-eyed woman just more than 5 feet tall.

Defense attorneys described her as a mentally ill mother who broke the law to help her children.

But a video camera mounted in a police car told a different story.

It showed an angry 43-year-old zooming into oncoming traffic, forcing cars off the road and snarling at the officer who stopped her.

The tape served as crucial evidence prosecutors used to portray Kathryn Martin as a threat, and she was convicted.

Martin’s case illustrates why law-enforcement officials like in-car cameras and are getting more installed: The footage tells the real story, and can be convincing evidence in court. The Idaho State Police is updating the recorders it installed a decade ago.

Police like the tapes because they show what happened during an arrest, which means swifter court cases and less second-guessing. They make it easier for an officer to recall what happened.

The videos also benefit the motorist, Jefferson County Sheriff Blair Olsen said. “If a deputy doesn’t treat you right and you complain, we can see exactly what happened and hold him responsible,” he said.

The devices can cost $6,000 each, largely because they have to give steady pictures in moving cars.