EXCLUSIVE: A Body-Worn Camera from Across the Atlantic
In a surprising introduction into the body-worn camera category, Vigilant Solutions announced this morning that they acquired the U.K.-based well-known body-camera company Edesix Ltd.
Well-known for their license plate cameras, plate and facial recognition software, and ballistic analysis solution, this marks Vigilant's first foray into body-worn cameras. It'll be very exciting to see what the future holds now that all this is under one roof.
IACP is right around the corner. If you're making your list add Vigilant Solutions to your stop. Their booth is #1139.
As stated in the press release this morning, "Vigilant Solutions is excited to enter the body worn and in-car camera markets," says Shawn Smith, Founder and President of Vigilant Solutions. "This acquisition puts Vigilant in the position to offer public safety a full suite of image capture solutions – both in the U.S. and internationally – including the ability to integrate our suite of technologies with in-car cameras."
The combination of all these technologies together surely has potential, and Richie McBride, CEO of Edesix agrees. "When you consider that our solutions seamlessly integrate into Vigilant’s investigative platform, the global public safety community has some incredibly powerful tools to keep them and their communities safe," he says.
Its reported that Edesix has more than 20,000 body cameras around the globe. With California-based Vigilant, more agencies in the U.S. should be able to now add to that list. Manufacturing will continue to be in the U.K. However, Vigilant will make sure any sale will comply with all applicable laws and regulations governing funds dispersed under federal grants.
Vigilant's Key New Offerings
VideoBadge - Body-Worn Camera
The first thing I see when looking at VideoBadge is its presence. This BWC has no problem letting the community know it's there. While many cameras are integrating into vests and jackets - even becoming slimmer and slimmer wherever they are mounted - the VideoBadge is one of the few that opts to stand out.
That transparency might just be the point.
"We are committed to providing law enforcement the tools they need to meet their needs, and the Edesix product line enabled us to help law enforcement to be transparent and accountable in their engagements with the public," says a spokesperson for Vigilant Solutions.
- Wide angle, 130-degree horizontal field of view
- Day and night recording capability
- RFID touch-assign enabled
- Integrated pre-record function
- Rated for use in extreme weather conditions
- Small and lightweight device housing Up to 14 hours of recording time per VideoBadge device
- Lithium-ion battery that recharges in less than 4 to 8 hours from a flat battery, depending on model
- Download one hour of recording in just 5 minutes
VideoManager - Video Evidence Management Software
The acquisition also includes Edesix's VideoManager, a complete cloud-based camera evidence management solution. Body worn camera and in-car camera footage obtained via Vigilant’s hardware will be stored in VideoManager. This will be one more component of Vigilant’s cloud-based investigative platform, which includes image capture data and analytics for ALPR, facial recognition, ballistics, and gun crime mapping.
Features Include:
- One-click redaction tools that allow you to crop and redact the identity of innocent bystanders
- Role-based security and access tools help secure the integrity of all footage by limiting access to specific users
- Web-based access lets you work from any computer, tablet or smartphone with a Wi-Fi connection
- Comprehensive audit trail tracking who accessed the footage and what actions were taken
- Platform Integration of third-party camera footage allows you to access more angles of an incident scene
- Massive scalability permits the platform to work with thousands of cameras at once while maintaining scale
- RFID assignment helps you quickly assign a camera to a user and know exactly which users and cameras are in use
Jonathan Kozlowski
Jonathan Kozlowski was with Officer.com, Law Enforcement Technology, and Law Enforcement Product News from August 2006 to 2020.
As former Managing Editor for Officer Media Group, he brought a dedicated focus to the production of the print publications and management of the Officer.com online product and company directory. You can connect with Jonathan through LinkedIn.
Jonathan participated as a judge for the 2019 and 2020 FOLIO: Eddie & Ozzie Awards. In 2012, he received an APEX Award of Excellence in the Technology & Science Writing category for his article on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in police work, aptly titled "No Runway Needed".
