AT&T Technology Sponsorlogo

Motorola Debuts Body-Worn Camera for Public Safety

Motorola Solutions' end-to-end solution, the "Smart Interface" (Si) Si500 and Si300 Video Speaker Microphone (VSM), reduces the equipment officers carry by combining a state-of-the-art video camera and high-quality radio speaker microphone into one easy-to-use device.

Today, Motorola Solutions (NYSE: MSI) announced it is transforming body-worn cameras and digital evidence management with the debut of its first-ever, three-in-one combination body-worn video camera, radio speaker, and microphone along with a new, cloud-based content management system for law enforcement.

The importance of capturing, storing, and properly managing video evidence has never been greater for law enforcement agencies of all sizes. While use of body-worn cameras has widespread and growing acceptance with public safety agencies and the citizens they protect, the massive amounts of data cameras create needs to be managed and stored, at significant costs.

Motorola Solutions' end-to-end solution, the "Smart Interface" (Si) Si500 and Si300 Video Speaker Microphone (VSM), reduces the equipment officers carry by combining a state-of-the-art video camera and high-quality radio speaker microphone into one easy-to-use device. Using the Si500 or Si300 VSM in combination with "CommandCentral Vault," a new cloud-based, Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS)-compliant storage solution, will make evidence management significantly easier while lowering costs, according to the company.

"A picture says a thousand words, and it's true in our industry," says Waukegan, Illinois, Police Sgt. David DeBaufer, whose officers recently experienced the new Si500 and Si300 models. "Having a body-worn camera combined with a radio microphone would be a benefit to the officer because it's one less item that they are going to have to carry."

"After an incident that is not on video there are multiple people that have multiple perspectives of how an incident took place," Waukegan Deputy Chief Keith Zupec says. "Now we will have that recorded and officers will be able to complete their reports after viewing that video, which will refresh their memory on how things occurred. It will be a more accurately and truthfully documented incident."

Motorola Solutions' Si500 and Si300 VSMs integrate voice communications, real-time video, still images, and emergency alerting into one innovative design.

"We're transforming body-worn cameras by integrating our best microphone into a video camera, and combining that with a content management system that's unmatched in its ease of use," says Bruce Brda, executive vice president of Systems and Products for Motorola Solutions. "This innovative solution consolidates the equipment law enforcement uses to carry out its mission while employing the latest technology to improve digital evidence management at a lower cost."

Sight and Sound

Both body-worn camera and remote radio speaker microphone, the compact Si500 VSM is a distinctive interface that extends the mission-critical performance of Motorola Solutions APX radios. The lightweight compact design includes a number of innovative features to meet the needs of first responders:

  • The Si500 VSM is equipped with a 210-degree range-of-motion camera lens that provides optimal field of view and flexible wearing positions. Users can wear the VSM with the display facing in or out.
  • The Si500 VSM features the new adaptive audio engine that automatically adjusts audio settings based on the user's wearing position and environment. With five integrated microphones and a loud 0.5-watt rated speaker, it provides the same high audio quality of the APXâ„¢ 6000 portable radio.
  • Integrated Wi-Fi dramatically improves the speed of uploading multi-media. It also makes over-the-air VSM feature updates quick and seamless.
  • The Si500 VSM offers a full-screen tempered-glass display with an intuitive user interface that presents only vital information within three panels. Users have the ability to control radio channels and talk groups, view recorded video and photos, tag videos and listen to audio recordings.

Evidence Management

CommandCentral Vault is a cloud-based application to securely store, review, manage and share digital evidence. It completes a digital evidence management solution when paired with the Si Series VSMs but can also stand alone and accept evidence gathered from any device. The system ensures end-to-end security that reduces any challenge to chain of custody for agencies. CommandCentral Vault also:

  • Provides a highly streamlined ability to search, review, annotate and perform other evidence management, reducing administrative time and expense.
  • Provides an industry-leading auto-redaction feature to help public safety agencies remove identities of individuals in videos seamlessly. Instead of having to painstakingly invest the time to review and possibly edit each video frame, technicians will be able to automatically mark objects such as faces, addresses or license plates and let the new technology blur them out automatically throughout the video, saving hours of administrative time.
  • Creates greater engagement with and transparency with communities. The system enables agencies to improve evidence management and more easily respond to content requests.
  • Motorola Solutions has established a strategic partnership with Adobe Systems Inc. to use its industry-leading capabilities in CommandCentral Vault. Adobe's best-in-class content management, visual effects, workflow management and digital rights management capabilities combined with Motorola Solutions' deep knowledge of public safety will set a new standard for reducing content management administration costs. 

About Motorola Solutions

Motorola Solutions (NYSE: MSI) creates mission-critical communication solutions and services that help public safety and commercial customers build safer cities and thriving communities. For ongoing news, visit www.motorolasolutions.com/newsroom or subscribe to a news feed. Find Motorola Solutions Public Safety on Twitter.

About the Author