COP CAM | Who's watching you and who's not?

Matt Beck wasn't supposed to be working on Thursday, July 10, 2014. It was his day off.

But the new father couldn't pass up the opportunity to make some extra cash. He agreed to work four hours of overtime doing traffic enforcement for the North Olmsted Police Department on Interstate 480.

Beck couldn't know it when he agreed to the extra half day but halfway through that shift -- 10:51 a.m. to be exact -- his path and that of Richard Solis would cross.

For Solis, it would mean the difference between life and death.

For Beck, it would mean that people around the world now know his name.

VOTE: Should cops have cameras?

Why? Because what happened next was caught on Beck's dash cam video camera.

"Policing has been around since well before the existence of cameras, and it always functioned fine without them, but because the technology is present today, that's what everybody wants," Beck says.

Long gone are the days when video cameras were large, awkward and costly.

It's 2015, and video cameras are everywhere. There's a good chance the device you're reading this story on right now has the capability of filming video with just a couple clicks.

Whether you're making an ATM withdrawal, buying a gallon of milk, driving down a city street or filling your gas tank, you're likely on camera -- and you know it.

The same may -- or may not -- apply to your interactions with law enforcement officers.

Video wasn't rolling Aug. 9 in Ferguson, Mo., when a white police officer shot an unarmed black teenager. The disputed circumstances of the shooting led to civil unrest and public demands to know why there was no video of the incident available. (In late August, Ferguson police officers began wearing donated body-mounted video cameras.)

Channel 3 News wanted to know when and where the cameras are rolling in Northeast Ohio.

We reached out to nearly 50 local law enforcement agencies and asked them just that.

We specifically asked them how many officers are using body cameras and how many officers are using dashboard cameras.

We found the results vary greatly and don't necessarily seem to follow any obvious trend.

A small city near Cleveland with a relatively low crime rate equips every single officer with both a body camera and a dashboard camera. One local sheriff's office not only has a dash cam in every single marked car, it has been using the technology for 18 years.

Other county sheriff's offices don't have a single car with in-car video. Cleveland police have just 15 dash cams for 1,545 officers.

Yet other departments tell us they are in various stages of testing the technologies. Cleveland is the latest to announce they'll be using body cameras. City Council approved the expense at a meeting Oct. 13.

North Olmsted is one of those cities that uses dashboard cameras, and Matt Beck's camera was rolling that July morning when he stopped Richard Solis driving 82 mph in a 60 mph zone on 480 westbound near the Great Northern exit.

"That's the beauty part about the dash camera because had I gone back on station and told that story, probably nobody would have believed me," Beck says. " 'No way you dragged a 300 or 400 pound guy off the highway.' 'Yeah I did. Here it is.' "

But it turns out it wouldn't be just Beck's coworkers talking about what started as an everyday traffic stop.

Channel 3 first told you about Beck's heroics when we learned of the video back in July.

A simple Google search reveals the story made headlines in news media far and wide.

And then there are the Hodge Twins. (We warn you not to look them up on YouTube if you're easily offended.)

The comedians' irreverent take on Beck's video has gotten more than 90,000 views.

Although there's little they had to say that we can repeat here, Beck hears it every day -- from his fellow officers.

"He's a d--- fine officer! He's a d--- fine officer," two coworkers teased recently seeing Beck doing his latest media interview.

But there's one thing the Hodge Twins had to say that Beck says unequivocally isn't the case.

" 'He saved a life that wasn't worth saving,' " Beck quotes their video. "No. Every life is worth saving."

Dashboard video cameras are not new to law enforcement. In fact, the Stark County Sheriff's Office tells Channel 3 its department has been using them for 18 years.

Another department that uses dash cameras is the Willoughby Police Department.

That dash cam video was rolling on Sept. 21, 2012, when part-time officer Jason Gresko was responding to an emergency call with his lights and sirens on.

A pickup truck that appeared to be slowing down and yielding to Gresko instead turned in front of him, forcing him to swerve.

The 32-year-old husband and father, who was also a full-time Cleveland Clinic police officer, struck a tree and died.

That dash cam would become instrumental to investigators piecing together the final moments of Gresko's life and to the court that eventually sent the drunk driver who hit him to prison.

"That was paramount in officer Jason Gresko's accident," said Willoughby detective Lt. James Schultz. "It provided a transparent and objective way to see the accident unfold … and it also provided courtroom testimony for the trial."

WATCH: Dash cam from fatal crash released

Scott Leland got four years behind bars.

Jason Gresko left behind his wife and young daughter, Olivia.

"I have many memories with Jason. That opportunity has been stolen from Olivia. She will be lucky to remember one good moment spent with him," his wife, Sandra, said when she spoke at Leland's sentencing. "When we say our prayers, she asks me to cover my ears so that I don't hear her ask God to let Jason come home."

Schultz says dash cam played a key role in getting justice for Gresko.

"There's no more powerful tool out there than to be able to show an audience 'This is what occurred in front of the cruiser. This is what occurred in front of the officer,' " he said. "It provides objective, transparent details of the event, and that's what it did the night of officer Jason Gresko's accident."

READ MORE: Man involved in fatal police crash sentenced

Westlake Capt. Guy Turner points out that dash cams can streamline the legal process and keep many cases from even going to trial.

"Defense attorneys would file their motion for discovery and get a copy of the dash cam -- especially when it involved drunk driving -- and, as several of them told me, they would show the footage of their client stumbling and mumbling all over the place to their client and say 'Do you really want to take this to trial?' And most of the time the client saw the light and was willing to plead," he said.

Dramatic dash cam video from Middlefield captured a shootout between a man and police during a traffic stop in March 2013. It showed officers Brandon Savage and Erin Thomas were justified in returning fire, killing James L. Gilkerson.

WATCH: Dash cam shows wild shootout with police

The next month both officers, along with those who responded to their aid, were recognized for their courage and commitment to protecting the Middlefield community.

But dash cam doesn't always capture officers doing their jobs so well.

Dash cam from 2010 showed a Canton officer losing his cool during a traffic stop.

In a profanity-laced rant, Daniel Harless threatened to put the occupants "in the grave."

He was subject to department discipline.

WATCH: Officer's hot temper surfaces in second video

Matt Beck doesn't consider himself a hero.

"As I watch that video it's not shocking to me that I did that," he says. "I don't consider myself a hero for what I did. I signed up seven years ago to do this job and to do it that way, and I do it the same way every day.

"I don't think I went over and above, beyond anything I would have done any other day of the week."

He said his wife, Lauren, wasn't overly impressed either -- at least not until the media calls started coming.

"My wife would say 'Oh, he ran out on the highway and saved somebody. No big deal,' " he said. "And then once you guys, the news media, started getting a hold of it she was like 'Oh, this is a really big deal.' "

But does the idea of her husband risking his own life for someone who didn't seem to want to live bother her?

"She had no reaction like that whatsoever. She was supportive but nothing out of the ordinary," Beck said.

Channel 3 viewers saw differently.

"When I first heard that this occurred in North Olmsted, I knew that Officer Beck had to be the trooper who did this," Natalie J. Belle wrote on Facebook when Channel 3 first aired the video in July. "Officer Beck has been one of North Olmsted's finest and glad that the public is taking notice. Yes, he has pulled me over for speeding but he's a true pro and as we can see would put his life on the line to help someone who was in need. Bravo Officer Beck -- one of the best."

"Good job to the cop!!" wrote Brittany Jarmusch. "Especially dragging him back, my heart would've been pounding being out in traffic like that. Scary stuff."

While dashboard video camera technology has been around for years, the concept of body cameras is newer.

In Lorain County both the neighboring Oberlin and Wellington police departments have outfitted all their cruisers with dash cams for years. Two weeks ago Oberlin began using body cameras. Just over a week ago Wellington placed an order for 18 body cameras -- one for each of the village's 18 officers.

Both cited limitations of the dash cams' video and audio technology when they must enter homes to investigate domestic disputes.

Cleveland City Council approved a budget funding 1,000 body cams for the department's 1,545 officers Oct. 13.

"The majority of our work is outside the dash windshield of our police car," said Director of Public Safety Mike McGrath. "Eighty percent of our work is on the front porch, on the lawn, on the street, so we wanted to ensure you had a good product we can put out there and catch it all, and the good thing about the body cameras is you can mount it on the person or you can mount it on the dash."

READ MORE: 1,000 Cleveland officers will be armed with body cameras

Bratenahl police officers began wearing body cameras early this summer.

Patrolman Robert Pitts was nearing the end of his shift about 11 p.m. on a late August night when a call came in to assist Metroparks rangers and Cleveland police in pursuing a man through Euclid Beach Park.

Officers didn't know it at the time, but Jeffery Conrad, who told police "I'm schizophrenic and I'm suffering from psychosis" and begged them to kill him, was the prime suspect in the fatal stabbing of Amanda Russell, his ex-girlfriend, at her Cuyahoga Falls home.

Pitts' body cam was rolling as he and a park ranger tried to reason with Conrad to put down a large hunting knife he was waving and to surrender.

An almost nine-minute video shows the standoff.

Finally, Pitts is able to get close enough to use a Taser on Conrad.

Pitts and officers struggled in the water of Lake Erie before he was disarmed and subdued.

Lt. Charles LoBello said Pitts' calm and courage helped end the dangerous situation without a loss of life. Just a week ago Pitts received the department's medal of valor.

"Officer Pitts showed great restraint and bravery during this incident, and this award is well-deserved," LoBello said.

Pitts said he was glad he was able to diffuse the situation with a less-than-lethal means, his Taser.

"I don't want to do that," Pitts said of firing a gun on duty. "Police officers, we're not in the life-taking business. We're here in the life-saving business."

FULL VIDEO:

Pitts said use of the body cameras, which is now "second nature," provided valuable documentation of the incident, showing both the suspect's demeanor and actions and that of police officers

"He wanted us to make him the victim in that situation, which we weren't going to do," he said.

"The implementation of the body cams with Bratenahl not only benefits the Police Department but also benefits the community," said patrolman Jon Basche. "The community benefits by having the accurate, objective documentation of the events that occurred between the police and the community."

Had the standoff not ended so peacefully, having that video evidence would have proven even more invaluable.

"We've been in situations where it could have gone either way with whether force was justified when used, and when we do review the video and the courts look at the video, ultimately, they get a good viewpoint from what the officer is seeing and feeling because it's on their body, and it's one-on-one and they can understand what we're seeing and why we make the decisions we make," Basche said.

READ MORE: Body cam captures murder suspect's arrest

In Willoughby, the Police Department's two school resource officers have body cams, but the department wants to get more.

Detective Lt. James Schultz says it all goes back to officer safety, and the more tools at officers' disposal, the better.

"When the public sees an officer carrying certain equipment a lot of times that changes behavior," he said. "We saw that when we started utilizing Tasers a few years ago. The public sees that, and it changes interactions a lot of times. When an officer goes to a domestic call, when he goes to a fight call -- those dangerous calls that put the officer and the public in the most danger -- this type of equipment helps ensure their safety, helps ensure everybody else's safety."

Just this weekend, South Euclid patrolman Steve Wilson shot and killed suspect Ronnie McNary after he ignored a police order to drop a knife he was using to injure his on-again-off-again girlfriend.

South Euclid Chief Kevin Nietert said McNary told police "Kill me" and continued to attack his victim.

Nietert said the incident is "the perfect scenario showing why we purchased body cameras."

READ MORE: Police wore body cam in 'deadly force' shooting

Richard Solis weighs 350 pounds, according to his driver's license.

That's not normally something we would report when telling you about a traffic stop.

But due to what happened next the morning of that fateful meeting between Solis and officer Matt Beck, Solis' weight makes all the difference in the world.

After stopping Solis, Beck spoke with him, smelled alcohol and saw an empty beer can on the floor of his car and was back in his cruiser waiting for backup when Solis began to exit his vehicle.

Solis, with his hands in the air, stumbles into traffic along the busy four-lane-wide 480. (Remember, Solis himself was going 82 mph, so it's likely the midday mix of cars, trucks, SUVs and tractor-trailers were going nearly as fast.)

Solis, who we would later find out was intoxicated, apparently had a death wish that sunny Thursday morning.

"Get back in the car, get back in the car," Beck shouts.

"Kill me. Kill me," yells Solis and then violently drops to the ground in the high-speed lane.

Out of options and with a Solis facing imminent death, Beck did the only thing he could -- he looked for an opening in traffic and went for it.

"Body-drag training -- they don't really give that in the academy," he said. "All my years of playing high school football came back to me there."

He credits adrenalin with giving him the strength to drag Solis -- all 350 pounds of him -- across the four lanes to safety on the berm.

"I tried grabbing him by his arm, and he just dropped. I did not throw him down there," Beck said recently as he rewatched the video with a Channel 3 reporter. "My reaction is 'Now me and him are now standing dead in the water in the middle of the highway, so it's time to get him off the highway.' "

He didn't think twice.

"We're trained to react, and there was a situation that needed to be dealt with, and I think I reacted in a way that I think most every other officer would have done," Beck said.

Beck says he wasn't scared.

"I've been up there working the interstate for so many years now it doesn't even bother me being up there. … I don't get too nervous being up there," he said.

READ MORE: Officer drags drunken man to safety

As video technology becomes cheaper and easier to use -- for most people as close as their smartphone -- it's not just the cops with video cameras anymore.

More and more private citizens are turning the tables on law enforcement and recording their own traffic stops.

Sandusky city leaders are pledging to improve relations with the black community and to try to get more minority officers on their 45-member force in the wake of fallout from a controversial YouTube video shot by a man before and during his arrest in a traffic stop.

Andre Stockett took cellphone video of his confrontation with officer Christopher Denny during the incident Oct 1. Stockett, his girlfriend and their 2-week-old baby were pulled over.

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Police claimed it was because they were driving with no headlights on and concerns about an expired driver's license.

Denny then told Stockett he resembled Jeremy Newell, who is a wanted man.

Tempers flared and things escalated. Denny demanded Stockett get out of the car. Stockett refused, saying there was no probable cause to be stopped, and declined to answer the officer's questions.

The almost seven-minute video went viral on YouTube. Many viewers posted comments saying the incident portrays what happens to minorities too frequently.

Denny has since been placed on leave from the Sandusky Police Department.

READ MORE: Sandusky officer placed on leave after traffic stop

Earlier this year, Aaron Septaric captured his entire encounter with Lorain police on video.

"I've done nothing illegal," said Septaric after police were called because he was walking down the street openly carrying an assault rifle over his shoulder.

"Nobody said you did anything illegal," responded an officer.

Police asked for Septaric's name but he said he had the right not to answer. It was one of many demonstrations around the country from Oregon to Michigan.

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Some admit to testing the knowledge of officers on open carry laws.

In the end, Septaric was not arrested, but "the police officer does have the right, if he has reasonable suspicion, to stop you and to make sure your are old enough to have the firearm and are not a convicted felon or have some disability that would not allow you to posses a firearm," said Paul Graupmann, commander of the Police Academy at Lorain County Community College.

Septaric also posted his video to YouTube.

"I was open carrying my AR-15 around noon on Feb. 17 when I was stopped and frisked. The police officers kept trying to get me to forfeit my rights. They disarmed me and detained me without due cause," he wrote on YouTube.

READ MORE: Gun rights activists test police on open carry laws

With so many examples of the good that comes from outfitting officers -- and their cars -- with video, many people are asking simply "Why not?"

A common reason is cost.

"The primary con that we have at Bratenahl and most departments around the area that have body cameras are the cost," said patrolman Jon Basche. "It's a costly process to implement the body cameras. At approximately $300 to $500 per camera, nearly $1,000 for each docking station … and then we also have to pay for monthly storage."

Fellow officer Robert Pitts think the cost is well worth it.

"Initial cost actually is not too bad," Pitts said. "Overall, as far as evidentiary value -- the things that you can collect on a traffic stop, or if you're conducting an investigation at somebody's house for domestic violence, there's things that you can go back and reference to your video later to help in your investigation to make a better prosecution."

It's an expense many departments see in their future. Multiple agencies Channel 3 News contacted who aren't yet issuing body cameras are either testing them or at least doing research.

"There are a lot of opportunities for grant money for technology such as this. … It's only a matter of time until they do come," said North Olmsted patrolman Matt Beck, who uses a dash cam but not a body camera. "It's just a matter of them finding the right one at the right price and being able to order. We have 33 patrolmen, so that's a lot of cameras and a lot of money to spend at one time."

Beck, who says he has nothing to hide, said he'd be fine with wearing a body camera. Still, others are hesitant.

"I think if you polled everyone it'd be about 50-50," he said. "There'd be half that would be up for that and having that protection on them, and there'd be another half that would say that's a little too intrusive."

He can see why.

"As police officers, we see the worst of people and the worst of things, and there are some things the public just doesn't need to see," he said.

In Westlake, where 18 cruisers have dash cams but the department is in the process of replacing an inoperable system, Capt. Guy Turner says the plan is to hold off on body cameras because their use is so new.

"Body cams is kind of an unexplored territory," he said. "There's a lot of questions about privacy. For example suppose a family member of yours is the victim of a sex crime. Do we really want to be recording that? A child is a victim of some terrible crime. Do we want to be recording that? When a police officer goes to the bathroom, can he shut his camera off?

"We really don't want to be the test bed for all those questions out there. So we'd prefer to let the law evolve and the technology as well."

After gauging where local police stand on using body cams and dash cams, we took our camera to the street to see what everyday citizens think.

"I do think the police should have a body cam because we would stop a lot of this police brutality," said Mattie Lyons, who made reference to Rodney King.

King was beaten by Los Angeles police officers following a high-speed car chase in 1991. A local witness videotaped much of the beating from his balcony.

Darren Alexander, a postal worker, said he felt body cams were too intrusive.

"I work public service myself, and I wouldn't want a body cam on me while I was doing my job because I know that I'm doing my job efficiently," he said.

"I agree with the dash cams, but I've never heard of the body cams, and I don't agree with that," said Amanda Stanley of North Olmsted.

Maria Davis of Cleveland said she wouldn't want to be videotaped.

"It's violating somebody's privacy," she said.

"I think it would do more harm than good," said Mitch Solomon.

He worried about the public perception of police if a videos of a few bad apples get out.

"Almost all the times when we see these videos it's going to be the cop shooting at an unarmed suspect … just doing something that seems like it's just the police being bullies," he said. "What we don't see a lot of the time -- or the ones that don't get as many hits on YouTube -- are the ones ... of the guy actually doing his job the way he's supposed to because we expect that out of them."

A retired police officer who didn't want us to use his name said he supports cameras.

"I think it would protect the officer, it would protect the department, and it would protect the citizens by having body cameras," he said. "It keeps the truth out there. It will diminish a lot of the speculation that cops are crooked."

He said his opinion isn't popular among all his former coworkers that he keeps in contact with.

"A lot of them don't want it, but some do want it," he said. "Those that don't it just keeps them out of the limelight. It just keeps things simpler. A lot of them are the old-school cops that are used to the pen and paper and typewriter."

"Video evidence is always wonderful," Matt Beck says of making a case in court.

"They want the camera evidence. And they want to know why (if) there isn't camera evidence," he said.

It's also great for making a case to his bosses, he said.

"I've been accused of maltreatment to people on traffic stops and have been able to pull up the camera and review that and show to my superiors that the allegation against me was a complete and total falsification," he said.

Beck says he's probably watched the dash cam video from that 480 traffic stop that so many call heroic about 40 times. He has a copy he burned to a DVD at home. Recently it was featured on a police training website.

Whether on camera or off, police work all comes down to that training for Beck.

"Most of the instances that we have, things happen in a split second, and we have to think fast on our toes," Beck says. "That's the option that I took, and I don't regret anything that I did or would I change anything? No."

Beck, who has his wife, Lauren, and daughter, Elizabeth, at home, says he doesn't think twice about putting himself in risky situations.

"You just hope that everything works out well," he said. "At the end of the day, that's always my goal -- to go home to my wife and children."