Attending APCO International's 2013 conference in Anaheim last week made it clear to me that public safety companies are pushing their chips in on officer connectivity as a growing market segment.

On-body video systems, broadband LTE networks and hardware, P25 Phase 2 radios and even biometric monitoring systems are entering the market at a rapid clip to help law enforcement officers gather intelligence about a multitude of threats and quickly process that information in a command center.

Mutualink demonstrated real-time multimedia interoperability using Google Glass, showing how its communications platform can selectively share two-way voice and video. The technology, which will operate on FirstNet's 4G LTE network, allows agencies to share data between seemingly incompatible radio systems.

A Motorola representative demonstrates Google Glass with LPR.

In another concept for using Google Glass in law enforcement, Motorola Solutions showed a software solution that integrates license plate recognition into the on-body camera system. Plate reads are sent from the officer to a connected patrol car and verified as clean or stolen.

Motorola also announced it has begun shipping its Zephyr Bioharness, a strap worn under a uniform that sends physiological health-status information to the command center. The system measures heart rate, breathing rate, skin temperature, activity, and posture and sends "officer down" alerts.

Harris Corp. showed its dual-band rugged LTE tablet (RF-3590) that operates on FirstNet Band 14 LTE as well as 3G cellular networks.

Tait's Total Connect system offers interoperability, including mobile-app access.

Tait Communications introduced its new portable P25 Phase 2 radio (TP9400) with built-in GPS and a rugged grill designed to shed moisture. Tait also unveiled its Total Connect system, which incorporates a two-way P25 radio, Wi-Fi router, and dual-modem system supporting Band 14 and commercial cellular networks. It also includes a smartphone app, allowing officers to communicate with a smartphone via a push-to-talk methodology.

Cassidian Communications brought its Broadband Vehicle Router (BVR) 700, a dual-purpose hardware solution introduced in 2012 that supports 3G, 4G, and LTE bands.

GammaTech introduced a pair of rugged tablets and notebook.

GammaTech introduced a pair of rugged tablets (CA10 and TA10) and a rugged notebook (SA14). The TA10 is a fully rugged tablet introduced in June that's rated to MIL-STD certifications for shock resistance and salt or fog.

NEC Corp.'s MB4300 Series eNodeB is a base station that can be mounted to a power pole and offers Band 14 (700 MHz) connectivity.

STI-CO Industries' dual-port antenna mounts to patrol car roof.

STI-CO Industries brought its new Dual Port Roof Mount Antenna with an integrated coupler with two ports for simultaneous VHF and 700/800 MHz operation.