LTE  |   P25  |  2021-03-30

Motorola Solutions' New Feature Enables Officers to Activate Body-Worn Camera Through Radio

Source: The Critical Communications Review | Gert Jan Wolf editor

The radio integration provides officers with a more intuitive way to capture evidence easily in emergency situations, enhancing transparency throughout communities.

Motorola Solutions, today announced a new integration between its V300 body-worn cameras and mission-critical APX® Project 25 (P25) two-way radios. Video serves as a crucial piece of evidence for law enforcement while also serving as an essential ingredient for building trust and transparency with the communities they protect. The integration is designed to automate officer tasks and capture evidence in their most critical moments by activating a body-worn camera recording when an officer triggers the emergency mode on their radio.

For example, an officer who may come under attack will need to call for backup, but will also need to keep their full focus on their assailant. By pressing the emergency button on their radio, the officer is able to alert the dispatcher of their situation and, simultaneously, begin recording on the body-worn camera so that a real-time, unbiased perspective into the evolving situation is captured. If the body-worn camera is connected to the officer’s 4RE® In-Car Video Camera System, or their partners’ body-worn cameras, these will also start recording.

“When your life is in danger, it’s not the time to have to go through a checklist. Officers are frequently put in stressful positions where they need to have absolute focus,” said John Kedzierski, senior vice president, Video Security & Analytics at Motorola Solutions. “We believe that technology should help automate officer tasks, like activating a body-worn camera recording when certain triggers are received, so that critical moments are not missed during these high-stress situations.”

Two-way radios are universally deployed devices that are foundational to officer safety, allowing law enforcement to communicate effectively and efficiently with their teams. By integrating APX radios with body-worn cameras, Motorola Solutions is breaking down system silos and enabling officers to rely on the technology and workflows that they instinctively use as incidents unfold.

This integration is one of many introduced by the company to automate officer tasks and capture critical evidence. Other automated tasks include activating the V300 body-worn camera and 4RE In-Car Video Camera System when an officer steps out of the vehicle, when the vehicle exceeds a certain speed or when the lights and sirens on a vehicle are turned on. These integrations continue to make it easier for officers to gather information in the field while remaining focused on the tasks in front of them.

Motorola Solutions is dedicated to bringing law-enforcement technologies together so that the devices, systems and software that public safety uses are complementary and seamlessly integrated. The new feature will be available on Motorola Solutions' industry-leading radios, including APX NEXT, APX 8000, 7000, 6000, and 4000 series.