For public safety officers, effective and high-quality video surveillance and monitoring equipment is no longer a luxury of big-budget departments. It’s a necessity for doing their jobs, keeping people safe, and protecting officer reputations and jobs. To provide public safety officers the best options in the field, Motorola recently acquired WatchGuard Video, an in-car video system for law enforcement officers that provides unparalleled visibility and transparency. The following are several features of WatchGuard Video that make it a key part of a public safety communications strategy.
Record-After-the-Fact
During high-adrenaline situations like those encountered daily by public safety officers, it is not second nature to stop and hit the “record” button. And remembering too soon before an event can result in a lot of extra footage that doesn’t provide real value. With the WatchGuard Video “Record-After-the-Fact” technology, viewers can go “back in time” and access video, even when officers did not actively make a recording. This keeps them focused on public safety and the event at hand, and not worried about technology.
Panoramic X2 HD camera
Another important feature of the WatchGuard Video is the fact that it combines two cameras in one. With the Panoramic X2 HD camera, officers can expand what the camera sees in front of the patrol car. One of the cameras captures HD video using a rotatable turret that can be aimed. The other camera is placed in a fixed position that provides a panoramic view. Based on this, users can see the full scene, and also have visibility into the details of the interaction.
360-degree view
In addition, the technology of WatchGuard Video lets public safety officer get a clear picture of what’s happening not just in front of the car, but all around it – from the top of the vehicle, through the windshield, from the sides, and from the point of view of each officer with integrated body-worn cameras. This creates 360-degree visibility. At the same time, after the fact, footage from each camera can be saved and uploaded individually, so officers can zero in on just what they want to see.
Integration and visibility
Finally, a benefit of WatchGuard Video is that it provides for seamless operations. Officers are not called off focus to hit a record button. Recording can happen automatically, even after an incident. And video and audio from all cameras—in the car or on the officers—can be uploaded anywhere using cloud-based software or an on-site evidence management system that runs on a cell network. The entire scene from multiple vantage points can be automatically synchronized for playback and sharing.
Further, WatchGuard Video has the ability to store footage in multiple resolutions. Video of incidents that go before the court and jury can be automatically saved in HD, while routine events are automatically saved in standard resolution. This can mean significant savings in both storage and costs.
Effective video surveillance in the form of body-worn cameras and “dash cams” is imperative to ensuring public safety these days. The National Institute of Justice reports body-worn cameras have the potential to improve transparency, increase civility, speed up resolutions, corroborate evidence, and improve training. Further, experts say dash cams can:
- Enhance public officer safety
- Reduce police department liability
- Provide transparency for the community
- Improve conviction rates
- Bolster police officer training
Knowing this, investing in the right equipment, from in-car cameras, to body-worn cameras, to 911 scalable solutions, can go a long way for your officers and your community. To learn more about WatchGuard Video and how technology can improve your systems, contact us for a free consultation.
