UCPD Tip of the Week: Use Your Cell Phone Camera

From Cmdr. Ben Horner of the Union City Police Department:

This week, an alert mother used her cell-phone video camera to record a man that was taking random photos of students at the Marketplace shopping Center.

I am sure that many of us can think back to an incident in which taking a photograph or video would have come in handy. Most of us probably forgot that our phones can take photographs and video under the stress of the moment. 

Many (if not all) phones have a “hot key” or camera icon that allows the owner to take photographs or video very quickly.

I would suggest everyone takes a moment to look at their phones and determine how to access these features by using the “hot key” or camera icon. Having to enter a code into your phone to access your camera can be difficult in a stressful situation. It may sound like common sense, but some of the most basic tasks can become difficult when you are exposed to a high stress situation. The goal is that you will be able to quickly access the camera or video features of your phone while under stress.