Body worn video cameras

Edesix, provider of the provision of Body Worn Cameras (BWC), has opened an office in the USA. Edesix's new US base is in New Jersey and will house both US and UK staff. The UK-based wearable camera expert is primarily focused on supporting its new Video Management Systems (VMS) integration and associated partners in the US. Edesix recently launched ONStream which enables seamless Body Worn Camera integration with existing Video Management Systems (VMS) traditionally used for viewing footage from fixed IP cameras. This new software enables ONVIF compliant VMSs to be compatible with wearable cameras. Cameras integrate seamlessly with VideoManager and leading CCTV Video Management Systems, meaning captured footage can be instantly shared and viewed by security staff. By integrating wearable cameras, it gives security teams the ability to view unparalleled detail of incidents as they unfold"Unified Security And Monitoring System "The US is a key target market for us, and as such we felt we needed a full-time presence there," explains Richie McBride, managing director of Edesix. "Our main US focus will be on promoting our current VMS integrated solutions, along with associated partners. One of the most important recent innovations from Edesix has been the ability to integrate the cameras with existing VMSs, enabling organizations to unify a site's security and monitoring system, and create mobile and first-person viewpoints and add contextual detail to footage. Recording Live Streams For Evidence "Fixed security cameras connected to a VMS are a powerful tool for monitoring and securing many different environments, from retail floors to distribution centers. By integrating wearable cameras, it gives security teams the ability to view unparalleled detail of incidents as they unfold. Our software furthers the potential of a VMS, protects valued staff, and captures concrete and secure footage for future review. “It enables immediate response by control rooms and later review by supervisors. It also means live streams can be recorded as evidence, which can then be securely shared with third parties, including the police. The service is fully encrypted with audit trails to protect the evidential quality of footage stored." Edesix recently opened a new office in the Middle East, where it already supplies VideoBadges to the Abu Dhabi police force Global Supplier Of Body Worn Cameras McBride adds: "The US body worn camera market is primarily dominated by law enforcement. We hope that having a full-time presence there can facilitate a change in this, as we see huge US potential in other sectors such as construction, parking, transport, retail and the emergency services." Edesix recently opened a new office in the Middle East, where it already supplies VideoBadges to the Abu Dhabi police force. Edesix also supplies other key markets across the globe, through direct sales and international partners, to geographies including the UK, Europe, Canada, and Australasia.

Axon, the global provider of connected law enforcement technologies, announced a strategic partnership with Milestone Systems, a world-leading open platform IP video management software provider. Today, law enforcement agencies receive data from a multitude of digital video providers, which they then need to analyze and store across various platforms. The Axon and Milestone partnership allows agencies to ingest all that digital data, including data captured on non-Axon devices, into Evidence.com, providing one integrated solution for an efficient, unified workflow. The Milestone data is ingested into the Axon Network so customers can apply the same tools to all camera footage for the combined video evidence Combined Review Of Evidence With the Axon Network, customers can securely and efficiently analyze photo and video footage captured on the Axon Capture smartphone app, body-worn, in-car and interview room cameras. The partnership with Milestone brings data from more than 6,000 models of cameras from 150 manufacturers, including CCTV footage, into that Axon ecosystem allowing for a combined holistic review of all evidence. The Milestone data is ingested into the Axon Network so customers can apply the same tools to all camera footage for the combined video evidence. This provides the ability to view and analyze video footage, redact in one single tool and quickly share case files with prosecutors. This partnership will deliver great value to our joint customers by giving them a unified overview of digital evidence and evidence handling" Enhanced Safety And Security “We're excited to partner with Axon as an early adopter of our new video streaming interface,” says Brad Eck, Strategic Alliances Program Owner, Milestone Systems Americas. “This partnership will deliver great value to our joint customers by giving them a unified overview of digital evidence and evidence handling. This illustrates the value of the open platform community to join forces for improving safety and security.” “This partnership with Milestone will provide an invaluable service to our customers as it helps streamline the entire evidence analysis process,” says Axon CEO and founder Rick Smith. “Milestone is a market leader in the video management software space. Law enforcement agencies will have the ability to ingest data from many more sources into the Axon Network, accelerating the capture-to-courtroom workflow.”

At IPI 2018 on booth 1701 Genetec Inc. (‘Genetec’), a technology provider of unified security, public safety, operations, parking enforcement and business intelligence solutions, will demonstrate a new way for parking organizations to better protect their officers. An industry first, Genetec Security Center AutoVu Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) solution now enables parking enforcement organizations to view video evidence taken by a body-worn camera and automatically correlate it with the license plate data associated with an infraction or altercation. “Parking enforcement officers are frequently threatened and harassed during their day-to-day duties,” explains Robert Amante, AutoVu Product Manager. “These altercations can lead to officer injuries, staff demoralisation, and increased turnover. By equipping their officers with body-worn cameras¬—rather than more threatening tools such as batons or pepper spray—parking organizations can help protect their staff without escalating confrontations. Should an altercation occur, organizations now have access to both video and ALPR evidence for ensuing investigations.” AutoVu associates ALPR-equipped vehicles with specific body-worn cameras, and ties video clips to ALPR metadata such as plate reads, GPS coordinates and timestamps Ease In Searching Of Vehicles With the simple press of a button on a body-worn camera, an officer can trigger a video recording. AutoVu associates ALPR-equipped vehicles with specific body-worn cameras, and ties video clips to ALPR metadata such as plate reads, GPS coordinates and timestamps. When video evidence from body-worn cameras needs to be retrieved, users can easily search based on plate number, time range or by using maps. Through this integration, parking enforcement organizations can deploy body-worn cameras as an addition to their existing Genetec ALPR system. Previously, customers had to deploy a standalone solution to equip their officers with body-worn cameras, a process that was time-consuming and costly. Support for body-worn cameras in parking enforcement will be available from Genetec AutoVu channel partners by August 2018. New Pay-by-plate Parking Partners Building on the industry’s biggest ecosystem of parking partners, Genetec has added support for two new companies to further enhance access to its parking systems: netPark, a cloud-based point of sale and revenue management software service used to manage valet or self-park operations; and YourParkingSpace a web-based service that matches drivers to available privately and commercially owned car parking spaces. AutoVu Flexreader automatically reads license plates captured by suitable IP video camera supported by the Genetec Security Center unified platform Automatic License Plate Reader At IPI, Genetec will also showcase AutoVu Flexreader, a new server-based offering that automatically reads license plates captured by suitable IP video camera supported by the Genetec Security Center unified platform. With AutoVu Flexreader parking authorities can increase the amount of vehicle data they are able to capture throughout their facilities. AutoVu Free-Flow Supports Traffic Data Visitors to the Genetec booth will also be able to see the latest version of the AutoVu Free-Flow off-street parking management solution. Designed to help increase parking enforcement efficiency by providing a real-time occupancy of vehicles parked illegally in monitored parking lots, Free-Flow data can now be combined with traffic information. This allows parking authorities to display travel times and occupancy side by side on a variety of digital messaging signs to help guide parkers more quickly to open spaces. Parking managers can now see their parking data more clearly using visual reports, helping them to identify patterns quickly and detect irregularities.

Video surveillance across the world is growing exponentially and its major application is in both public safety and law enforcement. Traditionally, it has been fixed surveillance where cameras provide live streams from fixed cameras situated in what is considered strategic locations. But they are limited in what they can see given by their very definition of being “fixed”. The future of video surveillance includes the deployment of more mobile video surveillance with the benefits it offers. Instead of fixed cameras, this is the ability to live stream from mobile devices on the move such as body-worn cams, drones, motorbikes, cars, helicopters and in some cases, even dogs!Sending drones into the air, for example for missing people or rescue missions, is much more cost-effective than deploying helicopters Advantages Of Mobile Surveillance The advantage of mobile surveillance is that the camera can go to where the action is, rather than relying on the action going to where the camera is. Also, sending drones into the air, for example for missing people or rescue missions, is much more cost-effective than deploying helicopters. The ability to live stream video from cars and helicopters in high-speed pursuits can be used to take some of the operational issues from the first responders on the ground and share that “life and death” responsibility with the operational team leaders back in the command center. This allows the first responders in the pursuit vehicle to focus on minimizing risk while staying in close proximity of the fleeing vehicle, with direction from a higher authority who can see for themselves in real time the issues that are being experienced, and direct accordingly. In addition to showing video live stream from a pursuit car or motorcycle, by using inbuilt GPS tracking, the video can be displayed on a map in real time, allowing a command chief to better utilize additional resource and where to deploy them, through the use of displaying mapping information with real time video feed. It allows police chiefs to make better informed decisions in highly-charged environments. The 4G phone network can now be used with compressed video to live stream cost effectively Application in emergency situations The same is true of first responders in many different emergency situations. Mobile surveillance opens up a new area of efficiencies that previously was impossible to achieve. For example, special operations can wear action body-worn cameras when doing raids, fire departments can live stream from emergency situations with both thermal and daylight cameras, and paramedics can send video streams back to hospitals allowing doctors to remotely diagnose and prepare themselves for when patients arrive at the hospital. How can special operations and emergency first responders live stream video from a mobile camera with the issues of weight, reliability and picture-quality being considered? H265 Mobile Video Compression Law enforcement insists on secure transmissions, and it is possible to encrypt video to the highest level of security available in the public domain The 4G phone network can now be used with compressed video to live stream cost effectively. The issue of course is that 4G is not always reliable. Soliton Systems has mitigated this risk of low mobile quality in certain areas, by building an H265 mobile video compression device that can use multiple SIM cards from different cellular providers simultaneously. H265 is the latest compression technique for video, that is 50% more effective than conventional H264, and coupling this with using multiple “bonded” SIM cards provides a highly reliable connection for live-streaming high-quality HD video. The 400-gram device with an internal battery can be connected to a small action cam, and can live-stream simultaneously over at least three different cellular providers, back to a command center. Latency is typically less than a second, and new advance improvements are looking to reduce that latency further. Encrypted Video Transmission What about security? Law enforcement insists on secure transmissions, and it is possible to encrypt video to the highest level of security available in the public domain, i.e. AES256.What about integration into existing video infrastructure at the command center? It is not untypical for a police force to have an existing video management system (VMS) at their command center such as Milestone System’s Xprotect. The Soliton range of products are ONVIF-compliant, a standard used by video surveillance cameras for interoperability, allowing cameras and video devices that are ONVIF-compliant to simply “plug&play” into existing video management systems. These mobile transmitters are deployed with law enforcement and first responders across the globe. Their ability to provide secure, full HD quality and highly-reliable video streaming within a small unit, and to enable it to be integrated into the current eco-system that is already installed at the receiving end, has made them a favorite choice with many companies and government agencies.

For the first time in Europe, bodycams have been deployed in public transport on a nationwide level. Dutch railway company NS has equipped 700 safety and service employees with Zepcam bodycams that they can use in unsafe situations to increase safety and prevent escalation of violence and aggression. Large Scale Bodycam Deployment Body worn video is mostly used by police, other law enforcement and first responders. However, there is a growing demand for this technology to be used in other sectors like public transport, in order to increase the safety of employees and passengers. In the Netherlands for instance, the number of people who are victims of an annoying violent incident in public transport has increased from 13.5 percent in 2016 to 15.5 percent last year, according to research center CROW. It’s the first time a public transportation organisation deploys bodycams on such a large scale within the EU Dutch Railways (NS) approached Dutch tech company Zepcam to develop bodycam solutions for its safety and service employees. These workers monitor the train stations and approach people who are for instance dodging the fare, behaving aggressively or otherwise causing problems. Thanks to the bodycams, they now can record situations for further investigation and prosecution purposes. Zepcam has over 400 customers in 45 countries, including the police forces of Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, Hong Kong and Singapore, and already supplies mobile video and bodycam solutions to local public transport companies like Movia in Denmark, SBB in Switzerland, SNCF and Veolia in France and Arriva in the UK. At Dutch Railways, it’s the first time a public transportation organization deploys bodycams on such a large scale within the EU. Benefits Of Bodycam Solutions According to Marjolein Maasland, representative of Dutch Railways, the new bodycams are comfortable to wear and easy to use. "I believe that the bodycam can help employees positively influence an escalating situation and possibly even prevent an incident," she states. CEO Bart van der Aa of Zepcam: "We are very proud to be the ones helping Dutch Railways’ safety and service personnel and their passengers decrease violence and prevent escalations. A growing number of organizations is discovering the benefits of our bodycam solutions for application in busses and subway trains and stations. We aim to make public transport safer all over Europe."

Video surveillance has begun offering healthcare providers more than just security; video analytics are now allowing hospitals and clinics to achieve their business goals. Improving patient satisfaction is supported by staff reminders when a patient has been left alone for too long. Even more, an alert can be given to staff members when a patient arrives that needs assistance. This reduces wait times, improves service, and gives patients better outcomes.  However, healthcare costs are rising throughout the world. In the US, spending is expected to reach 19.3% of GDP by 2023; whereas the European Union, with more moderate spending, will reach 10% of GDP by 2060. Managing costs has never been more important.  While the benefits of a video surveillance system help healthcare providers to manage their costs by enabling them to achieve their business goals, storing large amounts of video can pose a problem. With many hospitals recording 24/7 and long government mandated retention times, bandwidth and storage space can quickly evaporate.  SAS Drives Provide Reliable System Scalability The SuperNova Series uses SAS technology to improve performance over SATA drives. This is an evolution of the parallel SCSI into point-to- point serial peripheral interface in which the controllers link directly to the disk drives. With up to 224TB storage on SAS hard drives, superior bi-directional data transfer and high availability support up to 1000 camerasm one SuperNova Server offers scalability at an extraordinary level for mission-critical security applications.  Moreover, by supporting a variety of surveillance cameras, encoders and applications, SuperNova Servers allow customers to build high-quality surveillance systems lowering cost, raising performance, and maximizing capability. The SuperNova Series’ scalability and bandwidth for up to 1000 cameras make expansion efforts easy while maintaining complete failover redundancy.  All SuperNova Servers can come preloaded with the VMS of the integrator’s choice. This makes them well-suited for enterprise IP video surveillance applications. They can be used as a unified security solution or as a stand-alone platform for video storage, access control, or license plate recognition.

The IRIS Cam system integration with Genetec Clearance allows efficient video evidence collection & management Point Blank Enterprises, a manufacturer of soft body armor and related protective solutions, announced that it has been awarded a five-year contract by the North Miami City Council to provide the North Miami Police Department with IRIS Cam body worn cameras, together with a collaborative case management system from Genetec Inc., a leading provider of open-architecture security and public safety solutions. PBE and Genetec will offer the city of North Miami Police Department an integrated system that combines 120 IRIS Cam body-worn cameras and Genetec Clearance, a case management system designed to accelerate investigations by enabling different organizations to collect, manage and share video evidence. IRIS Cam Body Worn Camera The IRIS Cam is designed to meet the growing demand for law enforcement agencies to provide a visual and audio record of officers’ interactions with the public and help agencies improve evidence collection and enhance officer accountability. Built in a ruggedized enclosure, the IRIS cam provides ultra-high definition recording with a 140° FOV, for getting even closer to the action. Additionally, the IRIS Cam ensures not a moment is missed with 30 seconds of pre-recording. Genetec Clearance Case Management System The Genetec Clearance case management system is designed to speed up investigations by enabling different organizations to collect, manage and share video evidence, and other relevant case information. It allows police officers, investigators and security managers to gather digital evidence from the IRIS Cam and other sources—such as cell phone footage from bystanders and witnesses and store surveillance video—and easily store, manage, review and share it from a single application. Efficient Video Evidence Capturing The integration of the IRIS Cam system with Genetec Clearance allows for quick and simple uploads, saving officers time at the end of their shift. Post-incident tagging can also be added to the recording, to help with further classification of the event and to aid in locating the file for future searches or investigations. With built-in video redaction, Genetec Clearance protects the privacy of bystanders by allowing identifiable information to be masked, if video must be shared with 3rd parties or when fulfilling public record requests. All user actions initiated within the system, whether internal or external, are automatically tracked to ensure the chain of custody of the evidence is maintained at all times. Streamlined Video Evidence Management “The IRIS Cam system and Genetec Clearance will help the city of North Miami Police Department achieve a streamlined and highly effective process of capturing, managing and administrating video evidence, which will ultimately save the city time and resources in managing cases over the long term,” stated Paulo Motoki, Chief Operating Officer, Point Blank Enterprises. “With over 40 years of trusted service to law enforcement agencies around the world, we are proud to provide a unique hardware/software turnkey solution that will help strengthen accountability and transparency. This will result in more constructive encounters between the police and members of the community,” added Motoki.

An extensive survey revealed that 72% of paramedics were in favor of wearing BWCs at work Body worn cameras (BWCs) are fast becoming a staple piece of equipment for police officers across the United States. Police forces, such as NYPD, have trialed and adopted BWCs to take advantage of the many benefits associated with greater accountability and transparency, as well as potential cost savings. Yet, unlike the European market where other industries have also bought in to body worn video, the US still views BWCs as predominantly law enforcement specific equipment.Edesix, a UK based manufacturer of complete BWC solutions, has successfully marketed their VideoBadge BWCs, and accompanying VideoManager software, to a range of industries with different requirements and objectives across the globe. Deployments which have proven to be particularly effective include those to emergency services, prisons, and parking enforcement agencies.Emergency ServicesThere is significant potential for BWCs within emergency services in the US, not only to protect staff but also improve the quality of these services. In the UK, ambulance crews often use the cameras to record instances of abusive behavior, while paramedics and fire crews use them as valuable training tools to improve techniques out in the field.An extensive survey revealed that 72% of paramedics were in favor of wearing BWCs at work, citing reasons such as feeling safer, being able to record violent patients, and providing accurate information to medical teams further down the patient’s treatment.Fire and rescue services also value body worn video in their line of work. Edesix recently supplied fire crews of the West Midlands Fire Service with VideoBadge VB-300s, which they will use to identify training requirements and maintain public safety, resulting in improved services in the near future.PrisonsPrisons are a notorious environment for instances of abusive behavior and assaults. In the US alone, 33.5% of prison assaults are committed against staff members. The presence of BWCs has been proven to improve both staff and prisoner safety, by acting as a deterrent to abusive behavior while recording court-ready evidence of incidents. "For the moment being, law enforcement agencies and police forces will remain the biggest endorsers and advocates of body worn video systems in the US" The UK, too, has a problem with prison safety. In July, the Ministry of Justice reported that assaults on prison staff were at a record high. Edesix has since supplied HM Prison services across England with VB-300 body worn cameras, which were extremely well received by prison guards and inmates alike. By wearing BWCs, prison staff can quell violent behavior before it even begins. Prisoners are made aware that both their actions and the staff’s actions are being carefully monitored, which helps create a more harmonious environment, even in particularly rough prisons.Parking EnforcementParking enforcement officers routinely have to deal with disgruntled drivers who, on occasion, may become violent or abusive. BWCs have been used extensively in the parking industry in Europe for a few years to great effect. The American parking market is growing, with a leading market research agency predicting that 14,655 BWCs will be deployed to parking and civil enforcement organizations in 2017.This year Edesix provided Gravesham Traffic Wardens, who had been the targets of a recent spate of abuse, with VideoBadge VB-200 BWCs. Members of the public can now see that they may be recorded and, as a result, many do not escalate their behavior. If the parking enforcement officer does experience any abuse, they are able to record HD court-ready evidence, which can then be referred to the police.Future Of BWCs In United States For the moment being, law enforcement agencies and police forces will remain the biggest endorsers and advocates of body worn video systems in the US. However, as other industries begin to see the possible, and perhaps already evident, advantages of BWCs they will invest in the technology. As many industries in Europe have shown, the applications for BWCs are far more ranging than could have been previously thought only a few years ago.

Among its many uses and benefits, technology is a handy tool in the fantasy world of movie and television thrillers. We all know the scene: a vital plot point depends on having just the right super-duper gadget to locate a suspect or to get past a locked door. In movies and TV, face recognition is more a super power than a technical function. Video footage can be magically enhanced to provide a perfect image of a license plate number. We have all shaken our heads in disbelief, and yet, our industry’s technical capabilities are improving every day. Are we approaching a day when the “enhanced” view of technology in movies and TV is closer to the truth? We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: How much has the gap closed between the reality of security system capabilities and what you see on TV (or at the movies)?

Body-worn cameras are becoming more common every day, driven both by needs of the marketplace and technology developments. However, questions remain about the usefulness of the devices, and their future role in promoting safety and security. We asked this week’s Expert Panel Roundtable: What are the challenges of body-worn cameras for the security industry?