Aug 05, 2008

Los Angeles Police Department Stays on Top of Breaking News With Volicon Observer

Digital Video Logging and Monitoring Solution Provides 24/7 Recording and Easy Access to Archived Newscasts

BURLINGTON, Mass. — Aug. 5, 2008 — The Media Relations Unit of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) has chosen the Volicon Observer® video monitoring and logging system to provide continuous recording and monitoring of local and national newscasts. The Observer provides a powerful and easy-to-access solution for information officers to remain aware of breaking news items and easily access and search archived video for any material concerning the LAPD and law enforcement in the city of Los Angeles.

The Observer plays a critical role in the LAPD’s efforts to share information internally and stay prepared for events requiring a law enforcement response, such as terrorist activity. The system receives live video feeds from all national and local news outlets, as well as closed-circuit city channels and downlinks from police helicopters. Only the LAPD’s public information officers have access to the system, but they are able to share video easily with other select members of the department as required. 

Prior to the Observer, the Media Relations Unit relied on an analog system in which each broadcast was displayed on a different monitor and recorded onto videotape for later reference. The system required constant live monitoring by public information officers, who then had to search manually through videotaped recordings to find archived clips. The file-based Observer system removes videotape from the process, continuously recording and displaying broadcasts from all channels on a single monitor and giving officers access from any networked PC with a Web browser.
Since the Observer uses closed captions to index video in its database, the system can issue alarms and trigger e-mail notifications, complete with a clip of the video, when a breaking news event is taking place. In addition, the closed caption database enables officers to search for and retrieve archive clips quickly and easily, and then e-mail them to others in the department.

“Now that the Observer is in widespread use by TV stations and broadcasters worldwide, it’s also gaining acceptance for media monitoring applications in corporate and government settings, such as the LAPD, the City of Dallas, and the Hawaii Police Department,” said Julius Perl, vice president of marketing at Volicon. “Volicon’s excellent references among the broadcast community in Los Angeles sold the LAPD on the system’s potential value for informational activities, and we’re glad the Observer is playing such an important role.”

More information about the Observer and other Volicon products is available at http://www.volicon.com.
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About the LAPD Information and Communications Services Bureau
The Information and Communications Services Bureau (ICSB) is responsible for overseeing the department’s information technology systems, 9-1-1 Public Safety Answering Point and radio communications infrastructure. The Commanding Officer of ICSB is the department’s chief information officer, whose responsibilities include advising the Chief of Police on technology issues, serving as the department’s spokesperson on technology concerns, and preparing the department’s annual technology budget. The CIO also acts as the department’s representative on police technology issues before the City Council and other governmental bodies, serves as liaison with the CIOs of other city and county agencies, and directs the preparation of specifications, requests for proposals, and requests for qualifications for vendors and/or suppliers of hardware, software, and other technology for the department. More information is available at http://www.lapdonline.org.

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