Digital Evidence Management Software
October 1, 2015
In the world of evidence management, almost nothing can capture news headlines like a tragic interaction between a police officer and a member of the public. For far too many years, the outcome of the use of police force has been subject to a “he said, she said” debate. With the invention of high-quality, miniaturized video cameras, however, police departments now have a way to resolve these disputes. Even better, they can prevent them from happening in the first place.
Communities around the country are demanding that their police officers wear body cameras, and for good reason. With body cameras recording all of an officer’s interactions, a police department and the public that it serves can find out exactly what happened in every incident.
When all of a department’s police officers wear these cameras, the number of public complaints drops dramatically, as does the number of times that police are required to use force. They simply create the accountability needed for all parties involved to understand that everything they are doing is being recorded for posterity.
TASER and Vievu: Protecting Officers and the Community
Two of the most popular and award-winning body cam companies that police are seeking out for their technical needs are TASER and Vievu. Body cam technology is proving to be a significant contributor in cost-saving efforts for agencies around the world by preventing unnecessary investigations and litigations. The truth is in the recordings.
Police Department Contracts with TASER
The Louisville Metro Police Department recently partnered with TASER in an effort to provide better transparency to the public from local law enforcement agencies through body cams. LMPD will be spending 96% of its allotted $4.28 million just on storage costs through a cloud-based file management system; however, the licensing with TASER will give the Department unlimited data storage. Any footage not pertaining to an investigation, arrest, etc. will be automatically deleted after 30 days, per Kentucky’s body cam records retention laws. Shorter retention periods reduce the costs associated with data storage.
Body Cameras and the Software They Require
In order for these cameras to be useful, they must be served by the right digital evidence management software, also known as DEMS. This software is used in many ways to ensure that all body camera recordings are cataloged and stored properly. There are many data points that have to be accurately recorded. For example, our software can:
- Track which police officer recorded what video and at what time it was recorded
- Maintain metadata for every recording, such as which department members have viewed it and when
- Allow you to mark videos as evidence in an ongoing investigation or due for simple storage
- Give your district attorney and their staff the ability to log in and view crucial videos
RELATED: THE DELUGE OF DIGITAL EVIDENCE
The Benefits of Tracker Products EMS
Whether you’re a police captain looking for new solutions or the IT director that has to implement them, digital evidence management software is crucial for making body cameras useful. Without this software, your investment in high-tech camera equipment will be worthless. Our Evidence Management System with integrated Digital Evidence program is unique because it allows for both physical and digital evidence that shows the entire chain of custody. You will have an all-in-one solution for maintaining your evidence’s chain of custody and being able to access in whenever you need it.
Since this is such new technology, consumers can only choose from TASER and Vievu for their video camera needs. With all technology, it can quickly become outdated. Once the technology is no longer top-of-the-line, you will have to invest more money getting new cameras and new software to accompany the new hardware. The Tracker Products solution for 65% of the cost and there is no migration necessary for a new system when you have to update your hardware. With system-wide integration and multiple agencies needing access to these digital files, the last thing you want to have to do is a system wide migration across multiple agencies.
Give your community the increased safety and trust in its police department that it deserves—invest in Tracker Products SAFE today.
