The Decatur Police Department (Texas) has added a Reconview tower, a deployable asset that can serve as an elevated observation post, either manned or unmanned.

“Reconview’s mobile surveillance tower was specifically engineered for the ability for one officer to be able to rapidly deploy it in any environment for crowd control, border control, or as a command center. In public safety, time and visibility are everything,” said Channing Howell, manager of sales and operations, Reconview. “When threats can arise from anywhere, your eyes and response must move fast, steady, and confident, be operational in minutes and easily deployable from the moment it's positioned.”

Howell explained the Reconview tower is equipped with a 360-degree field of view from an vantage point. Every tower is built tough and engineered to perform in extreme weather, rugged terrain, and is capable of around-the-clock operation with a mission to manage reliability.

It features 24/7 recording capability and footage access, ballistic and non-ballistic options, and a climate-controlled cabin. Customizable options include thermal cameras, a public address system, spotlights, and any other requirements a department may need.

How Decatur PD will Use Its Reconview

“We’ve gotten to where we have so many special events as our city and our community continues to grow, we're starting to get a lot more special events every year,” said Chief Delvon Campbell, of the Decatur Police Department.

The chief pointed to the Wise County Settlers Reunion, a weeklong event every July, which draws attendance of 5,000 to 7,000 people at each nightly event.

“This tower provides us a great opportunity to just add some extra layers of protection to be able to see things and protect the people that are there,” the chief added. “So, as we grow, these events become more and more, and so this, this provided a perfect opportunity for us to add an extra layer of protection and security for the citizens in our community.”

Another large annual event in Decatur is National Night Out, which draws thousands of attendees to the town square.

“Again, as we're growing, one of the things that we're starting to have to deal with, like probably a lot of other departments across the country, is that you're having to do more with less staffing,” Campbell said. “And so one of the things that a tool such as this does is that gives us basically the ability to place a tool that's not an actual physical body as an officer. And so what we can do is utilize this to put in parking lots or other places to help give that protection and security that we need without the staffing that goes along with it.”

Working Closely with Reconview Team

Campbell shared how he first met with the team from Reconview a year ago at IACP 2024 and reached back out to them soon after the show. He said the Reconview team stayed in contact with him through the sale and all the way through delivery. He also pointed out that there were no surprises, the cost was the true cost, and there were no changes.

Even with the addition of accessories the chief wanted to include, he said the entire process was very simple. The department took delivery of the Reconview tower in October.

Reconview visited the police department in Decatur. They walked officers through step-by-step on how to operate it. That provided instruction from the initial start-up to operating the computer system inside and working the cameras and operating everything.

“This is a new tool that we can use in our community,” the chief added.

Reconview Standard Features

The observation tower is mobile and can be set up quickly by a single officer.

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Photo: Reconview

According to Reconview, the standard features for its mobile observation tower include:

• Up to 30-foot vantage point
• Octagonal design for better wind resistance and stability
• Heavy-duty scissor lift design
• 31-gallon fuel tank
• Deep cycle batteries
• 13.5 BTU air conditioner with head
• 5.5 kW gas generator and shore power
• 120-volt electrical outlets
• Insulated walls
• Four individually controlled flood lights
• Emergency lowering valve
• Strobe light and descent camera
• Wind speed meter
• Safety and stability sensors
• Tinted windows