NCJ Number
202415
Journal
Police: The Law Enforcement Magazine Volume: 27 Issue: 8 Dated: August 2003 Pages: 34,36,38,42,43
Date Published
August 2003
Length
5 pages
Annotation
Whatever a police department's needs for portable tactical video, there are systems available that can be customized to meet them, ranging from small handheld units to modular wireless systems that can perform a range of duties.
Abstract
Tactical video systems have been a tool in the police utility belt for some time, but they have not always been practical. Some of the older portable video units were too heavy and bulky to be practical in a foot chase or other operations outside of a patrol vehicle. The newest tactical video units are much smaller and offer an agency more uses than older systems. They are lightweight, versatile, wireless, and adaptable to almost any police video application. They enable officers to look around corners without being exposed and provide clear visibility in the dark and through smoke, foliage, and fog. This article describes the features of seven tactical video systems available on the market. The CamLite Corporation offers a small, handheld camera system that has applications for both patrol and tactical operations. DTC Communications has mated its FLIR ThermoVision Scout camera system with a wireless transmitter to create the Wireless FLIR ThermoVision Scout, a handheld passive infrared receiver that gives officers thermal imaging capabilities that only the military could afford a few years ago. Instrument Technology, Inc. specializes in the design, development, and manufacture of high-quality Borescopes, Fiberscopes, and Videoscopes for inspection or observation into hostile environments or inaccessible areas. Search Systems makes a variety of portable video systems that are used in law enforcement applications. Smith & Wesson has a Tactical Vision system that uses a unique slide-through battery system that allows battery exchange without losing power; this is useful for those times when an image must continue to be captured, but the battery power is decreasing. This article also describes some of the video equipment manufactured by Tactical Electronics, which produces products only for military and law enforcement applications. The Zistos Corporation offers a full line of portable video systems. This includes self-illuminating surveillance cameras and a choice of five different submersible cameras that also provide their own lighting.