Rushville, IN police officers have begun wearing new body-worn cameras designed to work seamlessly as a single integrated system with the department’s new in-car video camera system, capturing synchronized video from multiple vantage points.
The integrated system is manufactured by WatchGuard, a leading provider of mobile video systems for law enforcement.
“An integrated in-car and body-worn camera system makes perfect sense for the department,” said Steve Coffman, President and Chief Operating Officer of WatchGuard. “A large portion of the officer’s activities are performed in front of the vehicle where the in-car camera system acts as a critical third-person observer.”
“Integrating a body-worn camera adds a first-person perspective to every recorded incident, enriching the overall evidence.”
The WatchGuard integrated system allows the 4RE® HD Panoramic in-car and VISTA® WiFi HD body-worn cameras to intelligently collaborate, simultaneously capturing an incident from multiple vantage points, ensuring the entirety of the scene is available for review and analysis.
(Learn More about VISTA WiFi, the latest addition to the WatchGuard family of video evidence tools for law enforcement. Courtesy of WatchGuard Video and YouTube)
When any camera in the system initiates a recording, the other cameras automatically sense a change in status and may begin recording based upon a configuration of pre-set criteria.
“Our officers have been trained in the operations of the body cameras and in-car 4RE systems, as well as our policies and procedures governing such use,” said Chief Craig Tucker.
“Many of our officers who have never had access to in-car or body cameras, are displaying a great deal of enthusiasm at the ability to capture additional evidence and promote transparency in policing within our community.”
Within hours or deployment, officers captured video footage of an intoxicated suspect who later claimed impropriety on the part of the arresting officers, Chief Tucker added.
The claim was quickly and easily refuted upon review of the body camera footage.
(Learn More. On March 2, 2010, Lt. Stacy Ettel found himself at a crossroads of sorts, standing outside the window of a college student who had barricaded himself in student housing. Stacy was attempting to keep the young man from harming himself or others. In that moment, at that window, the course of Stacy’s life would forever be changed. Courtesy of WatchGuard Video and YouTube)
The Rushville Police Department began raising money for the project in August 2017 and submitted an order to WatchGuard in December, citing their preference for a robust in-car system that could integrate with body-worn cameras and synchronize the review of video within the evidence management software.
(WatchGuard’s VISTA is the highest quality body worn camera on the market today. It integrates with the our #1 selling in-car video system to provide agencies with the ability to capture the whole truth in an incident. Record-After-the-Fact continually buffers video, so an agency can go back in time to retrieve video, even if the officer was unable to press the record button. Courtesy of WatchGuard Video and YouTube)
