Utility Associates' BodyWorn™ Police Body Cameras Backed by Investment from Hicks
DALLAS, July 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Utility Associates, Inc. announces a significant investment from Dallas-based Hicks Holdings, LLC, to support the expansion of its BodyWorn™ product and position the company for growth within the first responder industry. BodyWorn is the only smart solution that incorporates GPS, motion sensors, real-time communications, live video streaming and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to meet the ever-evolving needs of law enforcement.
"There is a tremendous opportunity for advanced technology to positively impact the challenges facing our communities and first responders today," said Mack Hicks, partner at Hicks Holdings. "In surveying the marketplace, we recognized that Utility is the leading technology platform in the industry as a result of its policy-based recording features, artificial intelligence advancements and real-time communications – all next-generation capabilities."
"We have spent the past 15 years developing proprietary software that is shifting the paradigm in the industry," said Ted Davis, CEO of Utility. "Our solution allows officers to not change their behavior in stressful situations while providing organizations with a level of real-time connectivity to the field never seen before."
Several legacy hardware providers create inadequate products for men and women in uniform that are expensive and largely ineffective. In particular, traditional, hardware-centric body cameras force law enforcement personnel to manually activate cameras in highly stressful situations and because the clip-on devices are externally mounted, they are often knocked-off and fail to record. In comparison, BodyWorn's patented uniform mount is securely integrated into an officer's uniform and utilizes the only smart technology system that automatically activates and records in response to several triggers. For example, BodyWorn's system is capable of identifying if there is a gunshot, if an officer is down or if an officer is involved in an altercation. Each of these events and others designated by each department automatically activate recording and send an alert to Central Dispatch with exact GPS coordinates of the officer's location and an alert to surrounding officers to provide back-up or potentially life-saving support.
The BodyWorn camera system is combined with an Ecosystem of solutions from Utility, including advanced in-car video and 4G-LTE communications, providing first responders with enhanced situational awareness and coordination ability. Utility's Ecosystem closes the loop for its customers by providing one fully integrated solution that can be relied upon, as opposed to competing systems made up of several different vendors where accountability can be diminished.
"Utility's solution solves the fundamental issue with body worn cameras today by ensuring critical video is captured, while providing first responders with a host of next generation capabilities never available to them in the past," said Hicks. "We believe these types of solutions are where the world is headed and we will help Utility broaden the awareness of their product offering to ensure our law enforcement agencies have access to the best system available."
Braemar Energy Ventures and Treeter Holdings participated alongside Hicks Holdings in Utility's new investment round. Proceeds from the investment will be used to expand Utility's marketing and sales team in the U.S. and internationally, while also providing working capital for a rapidly expanding order base.
About Utility, Inc.
Utility, Inc. provides law enforcement officers with an intuitive platform for effectively capturing, managing and releasing video evidence. Utility's BodyWorn™ camera and Rocket IoT™ in-car video system incorporates real-time communications, policy-based automatic recording functionality, and real-time GPS positioning for the best situational awareness possible during critical times. Meanwhile, it's AVaiL Web™ cloud-based digital evidence management solution securely stores captured evidence and offers Smart Redaction™ - the only automatic video redaction software on the market today.
About Hicks Holdings LLC
Hicks Holdings LLC, is the private investment vehicle for the Thomas O. Hicks family's assets. With 40 years of private equity experience, Mr. Hicks pioneered the "buy and build" strategy of investing and founded Hicks Muse Tate & Furst, which raised more than $12 billion of private equity across six funds and completed over $50 billion of leveraged acquisitions. Hicks looks for established companies with proven track records, strong free cash flow characteristics, a strong competitive industry position and an experienced management team looking to partner with long-term capital.
