The YouTube generation may have a tough time wiggling out of any infraction they commit while dealing with law enforcement in the coming years.

That’s because the same technology that allows people to get quality video for uploading from cell phones is also making it possible for police to record arrests as they happen.

Already some departments such as San Jose are having officers wear high quality, small video cameras attached to their uniforms to record what they see when making an arrest.

Such technology isn’t in any upcoming budget for Manteca, but Police Chief Nick Obligacion can see the day when it could become standard issue.

That’s because video that captures everything the police officer sees isn’t open to much interpretation.

“Video is video,” Obligacion noted. “What you see is what happened for the (most part).”

Dashboard cameras have already been used by the department to resolve claims of improper conduct by officers during arrests.

Obligacion cited one case where an irate citizen claimed the officer was belligerent and abusive. When he offered to check the video that was rolling during the citizen’s encounter with an officer, that person backed off and withdrew their complaint.

When the police chief worked traffic, he’d often use his motorcycle mounted-camera to show a motorist who was convinced they didn’t roll through a stop sign or commit some other moving infraction that they actually had.

In those instances, Obligacion noted motorists often don’t realize what they had done because they often fall into a routine.

Obligacion noted that currently officers have to carry a lot on their police uniform such as a gun, baton, ammunition clip, taser, and more. Adding a camera to a uniform would require that it be lightweight and durable. Equally important is to make sure it replicates exactly what the officer sees.

The police chief can see universal video recorded arrests help streamline the prosecution process by presenting a straight-forward recap of what went down during an arrest.

The city also is in the process of preparing to design a fiber optic backbone system between the Civic Center and the new transit station. It will be able to tie in security cameras planned for Southside and Library parks to the police station. In the past, the city has said it could open the door for surveillance cameras elsewhere such as along Yosemite Avenue in downtown to provide security plus capture any criminal act committed in public.

The effectiveness of security camera monitored remotely at the police dispatcher center was illustrated right after the skate park opened along the Tidewater Bike Path. There were numerous complaints of rowdy and intimidating behavior and even incidents with knives being brandished. Once the surveillance camera was installed the police were able to greatly reduce problems to the point they are almost non-existent today. In one instance a dispatcher sent officers to the skate park while they continued monitoring the video images. They were able to tell an officer which individual had a knife and where they had hidden it on their person.

The biggest challenge facing the city now isn’t the money for the initial installations as they have already secured it in the form of transit from the federal government. Instead, it is having a computer large enough to store 24-hour video footage. The storage capacity needed is dictated by a state law that requires videoed footage for a set amount of time.