In the city of Oaxaca (Mexico), the Secretary of Public Security recruited 20 Deaf police officers to control the city's cameras in order to prevent crimes or support investigations. They control up to 230 cameras in turns and their visual acuity has improved surveillance operations
|
| Deaf officer (left) communicating in Sign Language (photo: Josh Haner, NYT / Vívelo Hoy) |
They call them "The Angels of Silence." Since 2013, they identify problems in the street before hearing people, as they have greater visual acuity and are free of sound distractions from their environment (radio, conversations between hearing people, etc.). In addition, some of them can read lips, which is an advantage since the cameras have no sound.
This video presents an extensive report with interviews to some of its Deaf officers (Spanish subtitles):
Sources:
- 20 Minutos México (2013, November, 16): "Ángeles del Silencio: Oaxaca contrata a policías sordos para luchar contra el crimen". Retrieved from https://www.20minutos.es/noticia/1979082/0/angeles-silencio/policias-sordomudos/mexico/
- Thomas, L. (2014, February, 19). "Sordomudos, ojos de policía, en Oaxaca". In El Universal México. Retrieved from http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/estados/2014/sordomudos-ojos-de-policia-en-oaxaca-988738.html
- Archibold, R.C. (2013, January, 1). "Policías sordos trabajan cuando la vista es más importante que el oído". In Vívelo Hoy. Retrieved from http://www.vivelohoy.com/noticias/8256701/policias-sordos-trabajan-cuando-la-vista-es-mas-importante-que-el-oido
