Utility, officially announced that BodyWorn is now the official body camera for the Bowie Police Department in Bowie, Maryland. The five-year agreement includes 55 BodyWorn™ units and 55 Rocket IoT™ units to provide the Department with state-of-the-art transparency and video management capabilities. The program is expected to be fully deployed by the end of June 2016.
“The decision to choose BodyWorn was made following a thorough evaluation process, which tested body camera products from numerous companies,” said John Nesky, Chief of the Bowie Police Department. “The evaluation process involved real world usage both on the street and in training environments. We have been testing different body cameras for quite some time, but BodyWorn scored higher in several areas including camera stability, recording visibility and video storage. Some of the more significant deciding factors for the Department were the system’s unique police-based recording triggers and the synergy between in-car and BodyWorn video made possible by the Rocket IoT system. A cost analysis also showed that it was one of the least expensive options. The technology and features coupled with the costs made BodyWorn our obvious choice.”
Deploying both BodyWorn and Rocket IoT enables the police department to automatically sync video captured from dashboard and BodyWorn cameras. With this standard feature, video from both recording systems can be managed at the same time on one platform, saving time and money and enhancing the way the Department accesses crime scene evidence. The scope of the five-year contract also includes front and rear in-vehicle cameras, a Rocket™ in-vehicle communications hub, a touch-screen tablet for vehicle use, Blauer external vest carriers, Utility’s state-of-the-art AVaiL Web Video Management Software and Mapping Interface License as well as Utility’s automatic redaction software Smart Redaction, which comes standard as an exclusive feature of BodyWorn™.
“Our goal is to provide law enforcement agencies with technology they can trust that truly meets the transparency needs of the 21st century,” said Robert McKeeman, CEO of Utility. “Having our BodyWorn in Bowie, Maryland is a testament to our team’s dedication to developing the best technology available on the market. We look forward to working closely with Chief Nesky as the team deploys BodyWorn and Rocket IoT.”
BodyWorn is a body camera embedded into the officers uniform that leverages the capabilities of a smart phone—unparalleled camera function, Wi-Fi connectivity, 4G LTE service and comprehensive Global Positioning System (GPS). The system uses a number of triggers to automatically initiate recording based on the department’s specific policies. These triggers include vehicle sensors, a built-in accelerometer and voice activation. Also, every BodyWorn™ system comes with the industry’s only automated redaction software, Smart Redaction™, as a standard feature at no added cost. Smart Redaction™ automatically identifies and blurs faces, body parts with identifiable tattoos, and other objects in a video to protect citizen and police officer privacy. This unique capability allows a police department to quickly and reliably redact video to respond to media requests. Manual labor cost and delay to redact videos is eliminated, which allows law enforcement agencies to maximize accountability and transparency.
For more information, visit www.utility.com and www.bodyworn.com.
