Versaterm Public Safety, a global public safety solutions company, announced today its acquisition of smartphone body and dash camera software provider Visual Labs.
The acquisition builds upon Versaterm’s public safety solution ecosystem with field-ready mobile software and a Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) compliant cloud-based Digital Evidence Management System (DEMS) that reinforces its commitment to helping agencies better serve their communities.
Visual Labs software transforms an officer’s department-issued Android smartphone into a body-worn camera with real-time video and audio streaming capabilities. The company also offers a smartphone-based dash camera and interview room camera solution.
The expanded offerings enable agency supervisors and dispatchers based in the command center to remotely access the officer’s live video feed and GPS location for greater communication, coordination and situational awareness during an incident. In addition to managing effective response, this functionality is critical to ensuring officer safety if the command center cannot establish communication with an officer in the field.
Moments after an incident, all video, audio and photos captured from the incident are automatically uploaded to the cloud through a secure connection to the Visual Labs DEMS. Authorized personnel, such as investigators, can quickly find and tag the stored footage with relevant metadata, including case numbers and location information.
The software also makes it easy to redact the recordings, blur faces or objects, or mute audio before requested footage is released into the public record. Simultaneous playback of multiple recordings and advanced location-based analytics, including heatmaps of officer coverage, provide an accurate account of events for investigators or detectives when reviewing or presenting case evidence.
“Visual Labs’ innovative software harnesses the connectivity, computational power and advanced camera quality of today’s smartphones to aid in incident response and evidence collection. It offers public safety agencies a cost-effective option where a single smartphone can replace stand-alone body-worn cameras, digital cameras and audio recorders for field officers,” said Warren Loomis, president and CEO of Versaterm. “The integration of Visual Labs, including the DEMS, adds a whole new element to our product ecosystem and reinforces our end-to-end public safety strategy.”
Visual Labs’ smartphone body, dash and interview room camera software complement the field response and reporting solutions within Versaterm’s public safety ecosystem, including the StreetSmart™ real-time, intelligence-sharing platform and Adashi first responder software.
The cloud-based storage solution introduces new digital evidence management capabilities alongside Versaterm’s current robust Records Management System (RMS). Following the acquisition, the existing team at Visual Labs will remain with the company and continue to operate the business.
