A new police reform bill has recently been signed into law by Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker. House Bill 3653 includes criminal justice and police reforms in an effort to increase accountability and transparency in law enforcement in the State of Illinois. Changes outlined in the bill include several updates, modifications, and restrictions on certain police tactics—among other things—and significant changes to law enforcement technology policies.
In preparation for these changes, many law enforcement agencies are choosing to preemptively equip their officers with law enforcement technology in the form of body-worn cameras as soon as possible.
Body Cameras and Other Law Enforcement Technologies
The world of law enforcement is rapidly changing, and new technologies are being developed to help protect both officers and the public during a law enforcement scenario. Body-worn cameras and car-mounted cameras for mobile video capture provide ways for interested parties to retrieve incident-specific details from officers in the field.
In Illinois, the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board (ILETSB) has made it easier for agencies to get the technology they need through an innovative Camera Grant Program.
While installation and data storage costs associated with such cameras are not reimbursable, both body camera and in-car camera equipment are reimbursable up to $895 and $5,752, respectively.
1. Body Cameras
A body-worn camera can help law enforcement officials collect evidence through the reliable capture of video and audio evidence, even under harsh and demanding filed conditions.
Panasonic, a leader in video surveillance for law enforcement, has recently released a one or two-piece design of the Arbitrator Body Worn Camera with an industry-leading 180-degree wide angle lens for unparalleled evidence capture.
The Arbitrator is the perfect companion to Evidence Management Software provided by Panasonic and dovetails seamlessly with Arbitrator in-car cameras. Storage options for video evidence include cloud, on-premises, or a hybrid.
The Arbitrator has a H.265 compression rate and records in 080p / 720p and 360p for high-detail imaging.
2. In-Car Cameras
Again, Panasonic leads the way for public safety and law enforcement personnel with the mobile evidence capture and management capabilities of the Arbitrator In-Car Camera.
Offering full high-definition, 1080p video capture, the Arbitrator gives officers 360-degrees of recording and viewing, even in low-light situations.
A 65-degree wide-angle lens and a zoom power of 360 X provides maximum field of view to reduce ambiguity and improve documentation of incidents for public and officer protection.
Resistant to vibration, extreme temperature changes, shock, and other harsh environmental conditions, the Arbitrator 360° HD system is built with military precision to reduce potential failures, ensure adherence to policies, and reduce the possibility of tampering.
All Arbitrator products are meant to work together as mobile evidence capturing systems, so up to five cameras can be supported through a single video processing unit for simplicity and ease of use.
Arbitrator products are part of a suite of law enforcement technology from Panasonic. These cameras partner well with military-grade Toughbooks, in-car mounting and docking hardware, and mobile printers.
CDS Can Provide the Law Enforcement Technology You Need Today
Regardless of your location, there has been an increased call for police officers and other public safety personnel to use body cameras and in-car camera technology to reduce the ambiguity that can arise during an encounter.
For those agencies who are bound by law to begin using this technology — or for those wishing to adopt it in advance — our specialists at CDS have the industry leading tools you need.
As a Panasonic partner, CDS has access to the latest technologies in the Arbitrator line of products — from industry-leading body and in-car camera system to the Toughbook computer than can make it simple and efficient for field personnel to capture and incidents on video, including archiving clips and retrieving them when necessary.
Our Mobile Video Specialists can work hand-in-hand with your department to determine your needs and goals and craft a cost-effective video capture system that will help protect your employees — and the public — with crisp, high-definition imaging.
Get the industry leading law enforcement technology on your side. Contact a CDS representative now and discover how a Panasonic Arbitrator products can make your job safer and simpler.
