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About LER

LER - Law Enforcement Redactions

"There is a new and exploding aspect to the field of public disclosure with the introduction of body cameras. The demand for privacy while also providing transparency is paramount."

Travis Smith : Industry Experience

Travis Smith is a Multimedia professional with experience ranging in industries from Sports to Law Enforcement and everything in between. Currently working for a local Police Department’s Video Unit, he provides forensics support to all investigative units of the department as well and video production for training and critical incidents.

As apart of his normal duties, providing video (In-car and body worn) for Public Disclosure has been an ever-increasing demand of his daily routine, with redacting sensitive information becoming more central to his day-to-day activity.

Over the last 2 years Seattle has began implementing body cameras and Travis’ unit was a driving force in helping test and develop potential workflows for the upcoming demand in body worn video requests.

A central theme to this implementation is been the consideration of the public's right to privacy. Redacting identities and sensitive information was second on the list before the cities priority of determining what exactly needed to be redacted.

Realizing the coming storm of Public Disclosure Requests from citizens, media outlets, and “Watch dog” organizations after a critical incident, Travis’ concern wasn’t with his own workload but the workload and capabilities of smaller agencies who will have the same problem.

WHY YOU SHOULD TRAIN

Cost Reduction

With shrinking budgets and increasing costs, agencies of all sizes should be forward thinking when it comes to budgeting the expenses incurred with the emergence and continued development of video evidence. With the prevalence of body worn and in car video, demand for transparency is creating an exponential increase of Public disclosure requests by news outlets and the general public. Hiring new employees to meet the evolving public disclosure requests is not optimal- The time spent during the hiring process and training pulls resources from the department that could be spent elsewhere. Outsourcing to a third party is never a great solution either- outside companies will consistently charge a premium fee for redacting to recoup operating costs.

Most agencies already have personnel dedicated to distributing non-sensitive information to the general public. These individuals have a unique understanding of Public Disclosure laws, customer service and knowledge of agency policy. Why not train these employees to keep them up to date with the current trends and demands of technology as it pertains to law enforcement?

Third Party Redaction Tools

At this point in time, no automated software has the capability to properly or effectively obscure a person’s identity in video. While it can be a starting point, automated redaction is no substitution for an employee with basic video editing knowledge. LER aims to provide the understanding needed to perform both basic and advanced redacting techniques.

General Benefits from Employee Training and Development

There are numerous sources of online information about benefits of training and development of existing employees. These benefits include:

  • Increased job satisfaction and morale among employees
  • Increased employee motivation
  • Increased efficiencies in processes, resulting in cost reduction
  • Increased capacity to adopt new technologies and methods
  • Increased innovation in strategies and products
  • Reduced employee turnover
  • Enhanced agency image

What else can LER offer?

LER offers expertise in redaction techniques and the equipment to get it done.

Adobe Creative Suite [Premiere]

Adobe has a very powerful suite of video and audio creation and editing software. For the purpose of video and audio redacting adobe premiere is the video software widely used in the video/film community. Its simple and intuitive once the interface is understood. LER teaches editing techniques in this software and we swear by it. Currently Adobe offers this in an affordable subscrition package to minimize the cost assosciated with owning the software. Please free to ask questions about this as well as the Hardware required to run this smoothly.

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Hardware [Laptop or Desktop? Mac or PC?]

For many angencies, deciding on how to outfit your employees with computer equipment, it is usually the cheapest thing that will get the job done that is provided, which usually leaves little room performance.

Video Editing software generally requires significant resources when it comes to computer performance. Most desktops in law enforcement are made specifically to act as word processors and not much more, but with current trends in technology you can get a lot more "bang for your buck" these days and having a couple work stations capable of redacting will not break the bank.

To keep our suggestions of computer equipment up to date with the latest trends, best prices, and current technology, specific models won't be listed but we will be able to help you out by providing you with options or even coming to the seminar with a laptop(s) that is operational and ready for video editing from the word 'GO'.

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Storage [Scalable Storage Devices]

Video and the storage it takes to retain it can be a headache. We can offer suggestions on scaleable local storage devices of and size and budget to suite your needs.

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Redactions Services [Need a life line?]

Sometimes a job can be overwhelming or on a short deadline. Although it's not a service we primarily provide, LER is here to help our customers. If you attened a course and need help or advice we are only an E-Mail away.

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FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

There are variables that will cause variance in prices. Contact us and we can discuss dates, locations, equipment and craft a course that works best for your department.