The Secaucus (NJ) Police Department used web-based software to disseminate burglary footage to officers, leading to a quick identification and enhanced collaboration between detectives and patrol staff. The technology from Orlando, Florida-based PowerDMS enables agencies to upload their most important content into a web-based platform, then distribute it directly to officers' mobile devices or computers for review, according to the company.
Over the course of one night in August, burglaries took place at multiple Secaucus businesses. Security cameras at one of the locations captured footage of a suspect. While burglaries like this are not unusual, Secaucus PD detectives historically had no easy way to distribute surveillance video to patrol officers, whose community presence and knowledge make them the ideal resource for identifying and apprehending criminals. Already a PowerDMS customer, Secaucus Police Department Lieutenant Dennis Miller took the footage from detectives and thought to use the platform to distribute it to officers electronically. PowerDMS is web-based software that is often used to distribute department policy documents or training content, but worked equally well delivering the video footage directly to officers' laptops and mobile devices. Within hours, a patrol officer was able to view the video on his laptop and identify the suspect.
