The Gulfport Police Department in Mississippi will be deploying 100 of Utility’s revolutionary BodyWorn™ body cameras and 100 Rocket IoT™ systems for its in-vehicle recording and communication optimization.
Equipping its officers with BodyWorn™, the industry’s only police body camera to feature policy-based automatic recording triggers, will enhance transparency and trust by ensuring that the City of Gulfport’s specific recording policies are followed every time without bias or human error.
(BodyWorn™ is the smartest body camera in the industry, helping police officers automatically capture, offload and view media evidence. Courtesy of Utility and Vimeo)
“We have spent a great deal of time researching body camera systems. There is a significant price tag with these technologies. We wanted to ensure that we found the best product for our needs,” said Sergeant Joshua Bromen, public information officer for the Gulfport Police Department.
“The system we found, BodyWorn™, stood out from so many other products. Our concerns about flexibility of technology and data storage were easily addressed by this company.”
“It will provide us with a camera system that is truly tailored for law enforcement. We are looking forward to getting our BodyWorn™ system out in the field.”
BodyWorn™ was chosen following a comprehensive evaluation process comparing proposals submitted by five different body camera companies.
BodyWorn™ scored 100 points higher than the next highest performing body camera device in the equipment and ability to perform category.
Jackson, Mississippi-based PILEUM, an authorized reseller of BodyWorn™ and Utility’s IT consultant and systems integration partner, will work alongside Utility to help the Gulfport Police Department deploy BodyWorn™.
PILEUM also helped facilitate the purchase of BodyWorn™ by several other police departments in Mississippi including the Biloxi Police Department, the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office and the Clinton Police Department as well.
“Much as the smartphone transformed the cell phone industry, the Utility solution is revolutionizing the way law enforcement captures and manages digital evidence,” said Jill Beneke, President and CEO of Pileum Corporation.
“The Utility solution is simply the best system on the market and we are elated to be working with the City of Gulfport as they deploy this game changing technology.”
BodyWorn™ is a smartphone embedded into the officers’ uniforms that offers unparalleled camera function, Wi-Fi connectivity, 4G LTE service and a comprehensive Global Positioning System (GPS). The system uses a number of triggers to automatically initiate recording based on a department’s specific policies.
Also, every BodyWorn™ system comes with the industry’s only automated redaction software, Smart Redaction™, as a standard feature at no added cost. This unique capability allows a police department to quickly and reliably redact video to respond to media requests.
In addition, the Gulfport Police Department will also be equipped with Utility’s newly-unveiled feature, Smart Scene 360™, which uses a 360 degree imaging technology to create a digital model of a crime scene.
The new technology simplifies crime-scene documentation by utilizing the BodyWorn™ smartphone device. The feature enables Law Enforcement officials, District Attorneys and Courts to view crime scenes in 3D virtual reality long after an incident occurs.
Smart Shot 360™ is part of the software running on the Officer’s standard BodyWorn™ camera. It requires no additional hardware and is included at no additional cost.
“Our mission is to provide advanced technology that both enhances transparency and also improves officer safety and convenience,” said Robert McKeeman, CEO of Utility.
“BodyWorn™’s automated video recording and advanced features make it the only product on the market that offers a solution to the public’s 21st century demands for transparency and accountability.”
Smart Scene 360™
Smart Scene 360™ was introduced at the 2016 International Association of Chiefs of Police Annual Conference and Exposition in San Diego, California.
This new technology enables Law Enforcement officials, District Attorneys, and Courts to view these crime scenes in 3D virtual reality long after an incident occurs. Smart Scene 360™ is a feature of the AVaiL Video Management solution.
It requires no additional hardware and is included at no additional cost. In addition, because BodyWorn™ is software based, every BodyWorn™ device has been automatically uploaded to include this feature, and each customer now has access to this advanced capability.
(Learn More about the features available from Utility, courtesy of Utility and YouTube)
Officers will now be able to review and search a crime scene remotely at any time from any location.
By utilizing the BodyWorn™ device’s instant video playback feature, an Officer can examine the 360 degree view of the scene directly on the BodyWorn™ device. Officers can also use Virtual Reality headsets to re-experience the crime scene.
All Smart Scene 360™ video content is automatically uploaded as it is recorded to secure Amazon Web Services cloud storage. Smart Scene 360™ video can then be viewed through Utility’s AVaiL Web™ video management system.
BodyWorn™ incorporates real-time communications for the best situational awareness possible during the most critical times.
Unlike Generation 1 body cameras, BodyWorn™ has automatic recording triggers based upon department policies, officer down emergency reporting, live video streaming, and secure automatic wireless video upload to cloud storage.
BodyWorn™ video, audio and metadata can be accessed through its cloud-based digital evidence management solution AVaiL Web™. All of Utility’s recording solutions, including Rocket IoT™ in-car video system, leverage Amazon Web Services cloud processing and storage.
