Brazos County Sheriffs Manage Digital Evidence from Cuffs to Court
A new Panasonic solution is poised to help the Brazos County Sheriff’s Office capture, manage and maintain digital evidence from the field to the courtroom.
Like law enforcement organizations across the country in recent years, the Brazos County Sheriff’s Office has increasingly relied on in-car digital video as vital evidence. A longtime user of Panasonic mobile computers, the Brazos County Sheriff’s Office turned to Panasonic for a single, comprehensive digital evidence management system that could ingest data feeds from multiple agencies and provide for the secure, seamless transfer of files for use in court.
[pullquote]“These exciting changes and Panasonic’s long history of supporting our previous hardware deployments were a huge factor in our decision to continue our partnership with Panasonic for the long term.”[/pullquote]As a result, the sheriff’s office chose to deploy what may be the nation’s first true cuffs-to-court solution for digital evidence management by leveraging Panasonic’s Toughbook Arbitrator 360° in-car digital video system and SafeServe back-end software, ruggedized wearable camera systems (WV-TW310), and a Panasonic 65” interactive plasma display (TH-65PB1U) with integrated pen-touch capabilities in the courtroom.
“We have long trusted Panasonic’s Toughbook computers and mobile video surveillance technology in our day-to-day operations and these expanded capabilities for digital evidence management will help streamline our processes and improve the performance of our correctional facilities,” said Christopher C. Kirk, Sheriff of Brazos County.
Improving Case Management and Streamlining County Adjudication Processes
Panasonic’s Toughbook Arbitrator 360° in-car digital video systems and wearable video systems will allow Brazos County deputies to capture high-quality, tamperproof digital evidence in the field that integrates seamlessly with the built-in case file management system of Panasonic’s new Toughbook Arbitrator SafeServe software version 8.0, which can now ingest an expanded range of digital evidence types including still and digital images, digital video, case files and report documents. The system will also be able to collect and process digital video surveillance evidence recorded by security cameras from a public source, such as a retail or liquor store where an incident occurred.
At the Brazos County courthouse, a 65” interactive plasma display syncs with the Toughbook Arbitrator SafeServe software to provide attorneys with the ability to access and illustrate evidence during trial proceedings.
In addition to creating a tamperproof record of all interactions with the public and improving officer safety, the wearable camera systems will help deputies in county correctional facilities discourage problematic behavior and eliminate or more quickly resolve frivolous grievance reports filed by inmates. These capabilities will enable Brazos County to streamline the process of moving individuals through the county system and minimize issues related to overcrowding that often concern county correctional facilities.
“These exciting changes and Panasonic’s long history of supporting our previous hardware deployments were a huge factor in our decision to continue our partnership with Panasonic for the long term,” said Kirk.
To learn more about the Toughbook Arbitrator 360° and ruggedized WV-TW310 wearable camera systems deployed as part of the Brazos County Sheriff’s Office digital evidence management solution, check out the Panasonic Solutions for Business website.
