The police department of Fargo, North Dakota is experimenting with a livestream for traffic stops, but not all is working out.
Using Periscope, an app that lets anyone stream live video wherever they might be, the police department wanted to engage Fargo residents.
But, according to Gizmodo, the initiative has been “an embarrassing failure.”
When the department tested the app out on the first traffic stop, they shut it of for privacy reasons.
The officer asked the driver to exit the vehicle.
It’s not clear, exactly, how Periscope will improve police-citizen relations in Fargo.
Police spokesperson Jessica Schindeldecker justified the program to local news station Valley News Live for its potential.
“I mean, we’re not looking to use it to compromise an investigation, and we’re not just going to be using the Periscope just for traffic stops,” she said. “We’re looking to use it for many, many avenues. And we’re just learning. So on how we’re going to use it, we haven’t really put a big game plan. So, we thought, let’s see how it goes.”
For all the discussion about police body cameras during the past year, the Fargo Police Department appears progressive in adopting an experimental livestream. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, 25 percent of police agencies in America use body cameras, and 80 percent of agencies have been evaluating the cameras and their usefulness.
Privacy concerns, a chilling effect on crime investigation and prevention, transparency, accountability, and community relations all get tied up in police recordings. A 2014 report from the Department of Justice weighs the evidence and implications of their expansion and recommends best practices for making the cameras an asset.
The experience of Fargo with Periscope could benefit from the review that would steady their cavalier approach.
