NEWARK, NJ, - Panasonic System Communications Company of North America, a leading provider of advanced mobile technology and video evidence capture and management solutions for the public sector, today announced its next generation Arbitrator® BWC™ (body-worn camera) and enhanced Unified Evidence Management System. Designed and built based on direct feedback from law enforcement organizations across the country, the Arbitrator BWC features 720p HD video resolution and a 130° wide camera angle — capturing high-quality video and providing unbiased evidence of all officer interactions.
When integrated with Panasonic’s Arbitrator 360°™ HD in-car video systems, the new body-worn camera solution offers law enforcement agencies the industry’s most complete and cost-effective platform for mobile video evidence capture and management. The Arbitrator BWC can offload seamlessly via Wi-Fi and other methods to Panasonic’s Unified Evidence Management System, which allows officers to easily and securely manage all video evidence — including in-car, body-worn and fixed surveillance video — using a single, unified platform with flexible storage options.
“As one of the first companies to offer a body-worn camera for law enforcement in 2012, we were able to gather feedback from our customers and go back to the design board to create something completely new that would meet their needs better than any other solution available,” said Greg Peratt, Vice President, Panasonic System Communications Company of North America. “With their invaluable input and our long history of innovation developing cameras for broadcast and traditional video surveillance, we have built a body-worn camera that seamlessly integrates with our popular video evidence management platform providing public safety agencies with the industry’s most flexible and complete evidence capture solution available.”
Industry-Leading Camera Hardware and Rugged Design
In a 2014 study1 by VDC Research, 62% of public safety respondents said they were evaluating or planning to deploy wearable devices. As video evidence capture is becoming a standard for law enforcement agencies, the Arbitrator BWC is designed to provide officers with indisputable, courtroomready evidence, promote streamlined adjudication and strengthen community relations while adhering to local and federal regulations.
Featuring HD video resolution, digital image stabilization and low-light capabilities, the Arbitrator BWC is able to clearly capture evidence in virtually any environment, day or night. Its rugged and water-resistant design makes the body-worn camera reliable when exposed to dust, drops, humidity and other environmental conditions officers may encounter. Weighing only 4.6 ounces, the Arbitrator BWC’s lightweight, purpose-built design offers multiple mounting options to provide officers with a flexible system to meet their preferences. Full shift battery life (12 hours stand-by) guarantees full support on the job.
Responding to officer requests for easy operation in the field, the Arbitrator features 1-touch recording and is capable of pre- and post-event recording to ensure all interactions during an incident are captured. It stores evidence on secure digital media, and officers can easily classify video with a single button. With built-in GPS, it automatically records important metadata including location, time and date, and officer ID.
For alternative mounting options, an optional second camera is available with the same wide field-of-view as the main camera.
The Arbitrator BWC system provides agencies with flexible video file offload options including direct offload via Wi-Fi, USB or multi-bay docking stations. The systems offer integrated operation with Arbitrator 360° HD in-car video systems, and officers also have the option to view video in the field prior to offload using their tablets, with smartphone-viewing capabilities coming later this year.
Scalable, Flexible and Cost-Effective Video Management
The Panasonic Arbitrator BWC ships with Panasonic’s Unified Evidence Management System (UEMS), which allows agencies to efficiently and cost-effectively manage all video evidence using a single, unified system. The integrated platform is able to securely manage and retrieve all digital video evidence from Arbitrator 360° in-car systems, body-worn cameras, fixed surveillance video, photos and other types of video evidence data through a single platform. This enables agencies to significantly reduce time and costs related to offloading and managing data, as well as to reduce training, maintenance and IT support workload requirements.
Compatible with on-premises, cloud, hybrid and other archival systems for video storage, the Unified Evidence Management System is the industry’s most flexible and comprehensive option for law enforcement agencies to take advantage of video evidence, while maintaining security, chain of custody, and compliance requirements. This gives agencies the option to utilize the storage option that is most cost-effective for them, and to store all their video evidence in a uniform manner.
Panasonic’s Arbitrator BWC and other technology for law enforcement professionals will be showcased at the 39th Annual IACP Law Enforcement Information Management (LEIM) Training Conference and Technology Exposition, May 18-20, 2015 in San Diego.
Availability
In the United States, the Panasonic Arbitrator BWC system will be available in July 2015 from authorized Panasonic evidence capture resellers.
For more information on Panasonic’s Mobile Video Evidence Solutions, visit http://us.panasonic.com/arbitrator. Sales inquiries should be directed to sales.psc@us.panasonic.com or 877-803-8492. 1 Nassberg, K. and Krebs, D. (2014) The Global Market for Wearable Devices Supporting Line-ofBusiness Applications. VDC Research.
Panasonic Solutions for Business
Panasonic delivers game-changing technology solutions that deliver a customized experience to drive better outcomes—for our customers and our customers’ customers. Panasonic engineers reliable products and solutions that help to create, capture and deliver data of all types, where, when and how it is needed. The complete suite of Panasonic professional solutions for government and commercial enterprises of all sizes addresses unified business communications, mobile computing, security and surveillance, retail point-of-sale, office productivity, visual communications (projectors, displays, digital signage) and HD video production. Panasonic solutions for business are delivered by Panasonic System Communications Company of North America, Division of Panasonic Corporation of North America, the principal North American subsidiary of Panasonic Corporation.
All brand and company/product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of the respective companies. All specifications are subject to change without notice. Information on Panasonic solutions for business can be obtained by calling 877-803-8492 or at us.panasonic.com/business-solutions.
About Panasonic Corporation of North America
Panasonic Corporation of North America provides a broad line of digital and other electronics products and solutions for consumer, business and industrial use. The company is the principal North American subsidiary of Osaka, Japan-based Panasonic Corporation and the hub of Panasonic’s U.S. branding, marketing, sales, service and R&D operations. In Interbrand’s 2014 annual “Best Global Green Brands” report, Panasonic ranked number five overall and the top electronics brand in the report. As part of continuing sustainability efforts, Panasonic Corporation of North America relocated its headquarters to a new facility, adjacent to Newark Penn Station in Newark, NJ. It is the first newly constructed office tower in Newark to earn both LEED Platinum and Gold certifications from the U.S. Green Building Council. Learn more about Panasonic at panasonic.com/pressroom.