SPECIAL REPORT Urban Shield: Testing Ground for New Technology
In addition, information from the body-worn cameras provides situational awareness in real time. Typically, body- worn cameras provide a view of the scene only after the fact, when footage is down- loaded at the end of an offi cer’s shift, and offer little value to offi cers in the fi eld. While there are some video-streaming solutions emerging that use conventional streaming approaches, they also raise concerns over privacy and cost. Mutualink’s solution enables video to be streamed only when desired or circumstances dictate. This allows the
right information to be delivered at the right time, providing support personnel with the ability to assist offi cers who are in the fi eld and in need. To facilitate the real-time streaming of video, the WSG is incorporated into a battery pack to an ultra-rugged Sonim phone designed with public safety in mind. The WSG fi ts into SWAT team members’ cargo pants pock- ets, providing the connectivity necessary to transmit data, including data from body sensors and body cameras, creat- ing, effectively, a First Responder Area Network (FRAN).
Further, situational awareness regard-
ing the officer’s location is displayed on the same monitor in the Command Center, providing real-time informa- tion about the offi cer’s location. Using beacon technology, location was further enhanced to provide indoor locations. In the power grid event, SWAT teams desig- nated a front-runner to disperse a handful of RF beacons. These quarter-sized disks transmit discrete location information so the Command Center knows the exact position of team members.
As team members pass by the bea- cons, the corresponding beacon icon for that person changes color, giving the Command Center a visual cue regard- ing that individual’s location. With each offi cer’s data displayed on the monitor, Command Center staff watch and moni- tor physical progress, health of the team, and changes to the landscape through the streaming video.
Collectively, the beacon location data, GPS information, streaming video from the body cameras, and heart-rate sen- sor data have the potential to provide unparalleled situational awareness to the Command Center. Furthermore, the Command Center—through Mutualink’s secure multimedia collaboration plat- form—enables all of these data points to be securely shared with other partner responder agencies on the Interoperable Response and Preparedness Platform (IRAPP) network.
The IRAPP is the only nationwide network of its kind. IRAPP network par- ticipants routinely connect with one an- other to collaborate during emergency incidents, as well as for daily monitoring of situations requiring inter-agency intel- ligence sharing.
Urban Shield teams test wearable technology to find what works the best in the field.
58 LAW and ORDER I May 2016
In a use case like this one at Urban Shield 2015, the Command Center can share an offi cer’s WSG read-out data with the responding EMS crew when the offi - cer is undergoing physical distress. Using the IRAPP, local hospitals can also collab- orate in real time allowing for expert as- sessment and to determine which hospital is best prepared to deal with the medical emergency. Meanwhile, a separate secure collaboration session can be taking place on the IRAPP network with utilities and law enforcement partners who would benefi t by monitoring the situation and being aware of potential threats.
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