Panasonic, Utility Partner to Enable Total Mobile Connectivity and Digital Video Evidence Capture
TINLEY PARK, IL (August 20, 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 a partnership 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, used for training purposes and 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 partnership 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.”
Panasonic’s mobile digital video evidence capture solutions and other technology for law enforcement professionals will be showcased at this year’s Midwest Security & Police Conference/Expo, August 20 – 21, 2013 at the Tinley Park Convention Center. To see the products firsthand, visit Panasonic at booth 307.
Panasonic Solutions for Business
Built on a celebrated engineering foundation, Panasonic architects business technology solutions that help build a better world. Customers in government, healthcare, production, education and a wide variety of commercial enterprises, large and small, depend on integrated solutions from Panasonic to help them acquire, manage and interpret the information that drives innovation. The complete suite of Panasonic solutions addresses unified business communications, mobile computing, security and surveillance, retail point-of-sale, office productivity, high definition visual conferencing, visual communications (professional projectors, displays, digital signage) and HD video production. As a result of its commitment to R&D, manufacturing and quality control, Panasonic engineers reliable and long-lasting solutions as a partner for continuous improvement. Panasonic solutions for business are delivered by Panasonic System Communications Company of North America, which is a division of Panasonic Corporation of North America, the principal North American subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation.
All brand and company/product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of the respective companies. All specifications are subject to change without notice. Information on Panasonic solutions for business can be obtained by calling 877-803-8492 or at www.panasonic.com/business-solutions.
About Panasonic Corporation of North America
Based in Newark, NJ, Panasonic Corporation of North America provides a broad line of digital and other electronics products and services for consumer, business and industrial use. The company is the principal North American subsidiary of Osaka, Japan-based Panasonic Corporation, and the hub of Panasonic’s U.S. branding, marketing, sales, service and R&D operations. Panasonic is committed to becoming the electronics industry's leader in green innovation by its one-hundredth anniversary in 2018. In the 2013 Interbrand Annual Best Global Green Brands ranking, the Panasonic brand jumped two spots to number four: http://www.interbrand.com/en/best-global-brands/Best-Global-Green-Brands/2013/Best-Global-Green-Brands-2013.aspx. As part of its continuing efforts to reduce its carbon footprint, Panasonic Corporation of North America relocated its operations to a new eco-efficient office tower adjacent to a mass transit hub in Newark, NJ in July. Information about Panasonic Eco Ideas initiatives is available at http://panasonic.net/eco/ecoideas. Information about Panasonic and its products is available at www.panasonic.com. Additional company information for journalists is also available at www.panasonic.com/pressroom.
About Utility, Inc.
Utility, Inc. develops and manufactures a combination of vehicle routers and an AVL / Vehicle Diagnostics / RFID tag software as a service that allows First Responders, Transit Agencies, and Utilities to effectively command, control and support mobile field operations. Utility delivers real-time information about virtually any mobile asset, providing a unified operating picture for safely locating, tracking and managing all aspects of mobile field operations. It all comes together into one cost-effective, enterprise-wide solution showing the location and status of mobile operations, including tools, vehicles and personnel. Utility’s Rocket Vehicle Routers are engineered, designed, assembled, and tested in Tucker, Georgia, USA. Utility has Patents pending for automatic switching between 3G and 4G, Access Point load balancing, and other situational awareness IP. The AVaiL and DataSync software as a service is developed and supported at the company headquarters in Tucker, Georgia, USA and is hosted at secure data centers in metro Atlanta and Wisconsin USA. Utility is venture capital backed by Braemar Energy Ventures and Lighthouse Capital Partners. For more information, visit www.utility.com.
