ALBANY -- State Sen. Eric Adams pulled a gun from a holster on his hip Monday and started waving it around as photographers grabbed their shots. The gun was a fake version of the Glock 9mm pistol used by many police officers. Adams, a Brooklyn Democrat who spent 22 years with New York City's police department, was displaying an accessory he hopes will eventually be embraced by police statewide: a camera mounted on the gun. PistolCam, developed by Legend Technologies, based in the North Country community of Keeseville, is a digital video recorder that mounts below the gun barrel. The device, which weighs 5 ounces and costs $695, is designed to turn on when the gun is unholstered, providing a record of what happens after an officer draws his or her weapon. The concept is similar to the practice of mounting videocams in patrol cars to document traffic stops, or in police stations to record interrogations and confessions. "This is the way of the future," said Adams, who is trying to lay groundwork for an eventual legislative measure encouraging use of such a device. Adams said he realized that law enforcement often hesitates to embrace new technologies, so he's starting his effort by trying to explain how the gun cam works to lawmakers and to some police agencies. So far, no states require the use of such devices. State Police are looking at a possible pilot program, said Michael Balboni, the state's deputy secretary for public safety. A $300,000 proposal to test the technology in State Police SWAT teams, requested by Sen. Dale Volker, R-DePew, was cut amid budget constraints.
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