] With videotape systems, the recorder is typically turned
] on when the law-enforcement officer switches on a police
] car's flashers. With the digital video system, the two
] minutes to four minutes of video captured before an
] incident will be instantly written to the hard drive,
] essentially storing a glimpse into the past.
]
] Such pre-event recording is important, Schneider said.
] "You have a violation that occurred, but what you capture
] now is the officer turning on his light, and that's only
] half the piece of the pie," he said. "Wouldn't it be nice
] if you could get the guy running the red light in the
] first place? That's what this system gives us."
]
] The system also includes a way to protect the chain of
] custody, so the video evidence will be admissible in
] court. The recorder authenticates all the video to
] prevent changes, and it will have a checkout system to
] keep track of which officers have checked out which hard
] drives.
]
] Still, the system will raise some sticky policy
] questions, said Lou Latham, a research analyst with
] business-tech research firm Gartner.
]
] "It's a fair witness, as (science fiction writer Robert
] Heinlein) used to say," he said. "Everything is
] recorded--and there are ups and downs to that--but it's a
] powerful sociological tool."

TiVos for police surveillance. I'm not sure if this is good or bad, but I think it'll make it harder to 'lose' video evidence. Slightly.