A car slams into the back of a police car and it was caught on video by an officer’s body camera.
It happened a few weeks ago, on the H-1 Freeway town-bound near Waimalu, but we just got a copy of the video today.
Thanks to an officer’s body camera, there’s no question about what happened.
The night of November 30, 2017, officers were giving a ticket to another driver when this happened.
“And it just so happened that the location of where there was a cover officer’s vehicle that was parked to provide not only the motorist, but themselves with cover,” Honolulu Police Department Major Rade Vanic explained. “So that’s just one incident that the body camera video kind of showed exactly what went on.”
HPD’s body camera pilot program ended earlier this month so officers are no longer wearing them.
“The pilot program actually went really well. Any new technology, we’re going to be dealing with issues and trying to figure things out, but it wasn’t anything that was insurmountable and then we can’t overcome,” Maj. Vanic said.
The pilot program didn’t cost HPD any money since the 77 cameras were on loan.
However, if the Honolulu Police Department decides to roll it out department wide, it will cost at least two million dollars for the equipment plus another several million dollars a year for storage.
What they’d get out of it is priceless.
The video of the crash also serves as a good reminder about the move over law.
Drivers are supposed to slow down and move over a lane if police cars or other emergency vehicles are stopped on the side of the road.
