Utility, Inc. announced that the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Department in Alabama and the Cameron Parish Sheriff’s Department in Louisiana have officially chosen to equip their patrol cars with Utility’s Rocket IoT smart, in-vehicle video recording technology. In addition to creating a 1,500 foot Wi-Fi hotspot around the vehicle, Rocket IoT is the first and only product available that integrates video recording features with advanced communication capabilities in one cost-effective system. The Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office will equip its entire fleet of 78 patrol cars with Rocket IoT; the Cameron Parish Sheriff’s Office will be deploying 35 Rocket IoT systems.
“Rocket IoT raises the standard for video collection and the way in which police departments throughout the country access evidence by integrating in-car video, reliable connectivity and GPS access,” said Robert McKeeman, CEO of Utility. “In the 21st century, there is no reason for police departments to be using outdated hardware that serves just one purpose. The Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office and the Cameron Parish Sheriff’s Office deploying our devices is a testament to our team’s dedication to providing law enforcement agencies state-of-the-art technology that helps improve operational efficiency and productivity. We look forward to working closely with them as they equip their vehicles with our Rocket IoT technology.”
Rocket IoT utilizes its unique communication capabilities to activate specific recording triggers that automatically initiate video recording. These triggers are set by the Department’s individual recording policies—including light bar sensors in concert with door opening, rapid motion, GeoFence entry, etc.— and can be updated at any time via BodyWorn’s™ video management system, AVaiL Web™. Central Dispatch can create GeoFences and action zones using the system’s GPS and automatically initiate video recording on every Rocket IoT™ camera within the selected area.
By deploying Rocket IoT, the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office and the Cameron Parish Sheriff’s Office have access to BodyWorn’s™ industry-leading automated video redaction software, Smart Redaction™. This standard feature of the AVaiL Web™ video management system is provided at no additional cost. Smart Redaction™ automatically identifies and redacts faces, body parts and other identifiable objects in a video based on the department’s privacy policies to quickly and cost-effectively make video available to the public, ready to be displayed in court trials, and to fulfill any Freedom of Information requests.
The Rocket IoT seamlessly integrates with Utility’s BodyWorn™ body camera devices, unifying the full Evidence Ecosystem. Police departments can record, view and manage video from multiple in-vehicle and body camera sources on one platform. Both Rocket IoT and BodyWorn™ automatically upload video to a secure Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS)-compliant Amazon-based storage cloud.
“This unified system eliminates the complexities and costs that arise from using multiple platforms to record and manage video from the same incident,” said McKeeman. “These two forward thinking departments have taken an important step to having one integrated video management system, with a simple migration path to deploy body cameras at a much lower price point. Baldwin County and Cameron Parish will have complete situational awareness of all video related to an incident.”
BodyWorn and Rocket IoT are key parts of Utility’s suite of products that enhance a law enforcement agency’s ability to manage the Evidence Ecosystem by automating processes. Utility’s design goal is to never ask police officers to manually do what the technology can do for them automatically. Police officers should not be distracted by technology, and should focus on their personal safety while serving the public.
The Rocket IoT also provides a smart, on-board vehicle diagnostics interface to provide vehicle performance, maintenance, and trouble code status. The Zigbee wireless interface provides the capability to capture and report an inventory of assets in and around the vehicle.
For more information about Generation 2 smart police recording technology, visit www.bodyworn.com.
