Tinley Park, IL -- August 21, 2013 -- Panasonic System Communications Company of North America, a leading provider of advanced technology for law enforcement professionals, today announced at the Midwest Security & Police Conference/Expo that it is partnering with Utility Inc., a market leader in mobile resource management solutions for first responders. Together, Panasonic and Utility technology will improve officer efficiency by enabling in-car high-speed wireless broadband to support a growing number of IP-based technologies, including a comprehensive solution for video evidence capture, offload and management. The combined solution now provides law enforcement agencies using Panasonic’s Arbitrator 360° in-car digital video systems with some of the fastest offload speeds available in the industry.
Across the country, emergency response vehicles are increasingly being used as mobile command centers – employing sophisticated technology and relying on constant, high-speed wireless broadband connections to provide real-time situational awareness. In particular, in-car video systems are becoming a standard tool in law enforcement and are serving not only to capture vital digital evidence but also to provide for officer safety, to be used for training purposes and to serve as an impartial tamper-proof record of officers’ interactions with the public.
As part of the new solution, Rocket Vehicle Routers from Utility support the offload of video evidence from Panasonic’s Arbitrator 360° in-car digital video system to a Rocket Access Point (RAP) in the parking lot at a rate of up to 1GB of video data in less than two minutes from multiple vehicles while maintaining a secure chain of custody. Rocket Vehicle Routers also enable live streaming with remote zoom via the Arbitrator 360° system to allow dispatchers or supervisors to view the vehicle’s live video feeds from headquarters or a mobile command center. They also support other functionalities such as delivering real-time GPS data from vehicles to dispatch and remote firmware updates.
In addition, the Rocket Vehicle Router will create a secure Wireless Area Network in the vehicle allowing multiple Panasonic devices to securely connect while leveraging a single carrier-agnostic data plan. The Rocket Vehicle Router creates a WAN or LAN in the vehicle which will support multiple data backhauls including cellular 4G LTE, radio, satellite and WiFi. This flexibility allows a user to leverage a secure “data hub” for multiple devices including Panasonic’s new Windows-based Toughpad™ FZ-G1 tablet.
Engineered for the demanding environments law enforcement personnel face every day, Panasonic’s Arbitrator 360° rugged in-car digital video recording system supports a full 360-degree view in and around a police vehicle. The system utilizes up to five cameras simultaneously to record courtroom-ready video evidence. Other features include digital wireless audio recording, low-light capabilities and activation based on predefined triggers such as the use of the patrol vehicle's siren.
Panasonic's SafeServ Evidence Management Software Suite provides critical back-end support for the solution, serving as a comprehensive file management system that aligns with chain of custody requirements. Panasonic recently announced that the new SafeServ version 8.0 can now ingest an expanded range of digital evidence types including still and digital images, digital video, case files and report documents from multiple agencies. The system can also collect and process digital video evidence recorded by Panasonic WV-TW310 wearable cameras. The SafeServ software also allows importing of evidence from other sources including security cameras from public sources, such as a retail location where an incident occurred.
“Officers are under pressure to respond to incidents effectively, and also to do so as efficiently as possible. This combined solution allows them to spend more time with the public and not sitting at a station waiting for evidence to transfer,” said Dave Poulin, Director of Business Operations for Security and Evidence Capture, Panasonic System Communications Company of North America. “The Panasonic and Utility solution makes it easy for law enforcement to capture, transfer and put to use high-quality video evidence as a seamless and integrated component of their day-to-day case work.”
“Combining Panasonic's Arbitrator 360° in-car digital video system with our Rocket Vehicle Wireless Routers and patent pending Rocket Access Points will provide Panasonic's customers with a best in class solution for ultra fast video offload,” said Robert McKeeman, CEO of Utility. “Our partnership with Panasonic provides a total integrated solution for maintaining a reliable chain of custody of digital multimedia evidence, and will allow officers to spend more time in the field providing police services to the community.”
