Police departments in the state's two largest cities are considering using video cameras in cruisers, while state police are installing more of the devices to record motor vehicle stops.

The Nashua Police Department is evaluating a video camera system installed in one cruiser by Panasonic Corp. Results from the one-month test will be used to help the department decide whether some or all of its 24 marked vehicles should be equipped with the cameras, Capt. Bruce Hansen said. The system could cost more than $100,000.

“We are optimistic that this will be a good system. We think the cameras may be able to help give us a greater amount of evidence,” Hansen said.

Manchester Police Chief David J. Mara said his department has been testing cruiser cameras since the start of the year.

A grant from the New Hampshire Highway Safety Agency enabled the department to purchase two cameras and the related equipment. The cost is about $5,000 per unit.

The chief said his interest is in the value of a cruiser camera in resolving disputes or complaints, as well as collecting evidence.

“I want to see the benefit,” he said.

The camera being tried out in Nashua is mounted on the car's windshield, and begins recording once an officer activates the cruiser's emergency lights.

It can record audio and visual images about 25 feet in front of the car. In addition, a rear-facing camera is also installed in the cruiser to record activity in the backseat.

The system also enables video feed from up to two minutes prior to the emergency lights being activated, according to Hansen, who said this could be incredibly helpful when dealing with drunken driving offenses.

Hansen said officers must inform drivers that they are being recorded.

With use of a mobile recording device attached to an officer's uniform, audio and visual images of the interaction are able to be recorded, he said, including any field sobriety tests.

The recordings are also beneficial if a person claims an officer was harassing or intimidating them, according to Hansen.

“From time to time we will get complaints about an officer's conduct; perhaps that they were rude. It doesn't happen often, but this camera could be invaluable in that type of a situation,” Hansen said.

The Litchfield Police Department has had its three marked police cruisers fitted with video cameras for about five years.

“We use them just about every traffic stop. It takes the guesswork out of it,” said Litchfield Police Chief Joseph O'Brion.

O'Brion said the department is considering upgrading its current system to enable live video streaming from the windshield-mounted cameras. This system would allow other officers to watch, in real time, an encounter involving a fellow patrolman, and if necessary, send immediate back-up, O'Brion said.

According to New Hampshire State Police Capt. Chris Aucoin, cameras are in 15 to 20 state police cruisers, out of a fleet of about 220 marked police cars.

However, 45 new cameras are to be installed as new cruisers are issued, he said.

“We have used them in a limited capacity for years,” said Aucoin, saying there simply isn't enough money to outfit all cruisers. The cameras are used primarily for drunk driving patrols, he said.

In Weare, police have used the in-car cameras in the past, but about three years ago the department stopped outfitting the cruisers with the video technology, Police Chief Gregory Begin said.

“They weren't consistently operating correctly,” Begin said.

And, because the new video systems are costly, Begin said the department is not currently considering installing new cameras.

Manchester Police Sgt. Andrew Vincent said the camera's low resolution can make it difficult to see license plates, people's features and subtleties of behavior in nighttime recordings.

However Vincent is very enthusiastic about a new camera system being tested. It's a high-definition camera capable of wireless downloads to a server.

“A cruiser pulls up (to the station) and dumps to the server,” said Vincent.

An officer can access his own video and burn a disc of what is needed.

Technology has advanced since the Merrimack Police Department last studied the possibility of cameras for its fleet of 10 marked cruisers.

“We are continuing to look into it,” said Police Chief Mark Doyle, explaining he would prefer to have all of the department's cruisers equipped with the cameras. “Really, it should be consistent across the board.”

- - - - - - - -

New Hampshire Union Leader Staff Writer Dale Vincent contributed to this story. Kimberly Houghton may be reached at khoughton@newstote.com.