Smile, You're On Candid Camera At Waterford Police Department

In 2014, every police department in Connecticut will be required to videotape interviews with suspects—and when they do, they'll be learning from Waterford Police Department's experience.

In 2008, Waterford Police Department was one of six in the state chosen by the Chief State's Attorney's Office to participate in a pilot program to determine the pros and cons of videotaping suspects during custodial interrogation. At the time, the concept was new and somewhat controversial.

Initially, police feared suspects would be less inclined to talk if they knew they were being recorded. Attorneys, meanwhile, weren't sure whether the tapes would be admissible in court or how well they would play to a jury. They worried that jurors might be put off by police interrogation tactics or take issue with the fact that police are allowed to lie to suspects.

"We worked with the New London State's Attorney to set up guidelines for the region and how it would operate," said Waterford Police Lt. Brett Mahoney. "It was something we were not used to and we've learned things along the way. For us, it's proven to be very beneficial and videotape really proves to be a solid piece of evidence for the prosecution."

Mahoney, along with State Police Sgt. William Bundy, New London State's Attorney Michael Regan, and the Danielson Court worked together to draft the operational guidelines for recording custodial interviews that will now be applied statewide. 

Initially, Waterford Police Department only recorded suspects charged with serious felonies. "We started out with a real high criteria," said Waterford Police Chief Murray Pendleton.

Once the advantages of recording interviews became apparent, the department began doing it more often. Now, Pendleton said, it's become standard practice to record interviews of suspects charged with a much wider range of crimes, including burglary and drug possession.

Mahoney said the recordings are useful for training purposes too, as officers have an opportunity to play back interrogations to see which techniques are most effective in getting a suspect to talk and which aren't. 

"The basic consensus in the region is this is a valuable tool," said Pendleton, adding that other police departments, including New London and Groton, often bring suspects to Waterford for interviews specifically to use the recording equipment. 

That won't be necessary next year, because every police department has to have its own equipment in place. Meanwhile, Waterford Police Department's equipment, which was installed in 2009, is in need of an upgrade. 

This week, the Board of Selectmen and the Board of Finance granted the department's request to waive the bidding process to allow the original contractor, Business Electronics Incorporated, to update the equipment. The $13,629 cost will be covered by a Police Video Technology (PVET) Grant, a funding source which was established by the state in 2012.

The recording equipment will remain the same, Waterford Police Lt. David Burton said, but the computer equipment is five years old and needs to be updated. The department also plans to use the money to create a second recording area in the secure area of the police department. Currently, the recording equipment is located in an interview room outside of the secure area, which is less than ideal for obvious reasons.