Police seek new camera, audio system for cars
By Lynn Zerschling Journal staff writer | Posted: Saturday, June 16, 2007
Later this summer, people stopped by Sioux City police officers will be recorded on a kind of "candid camera."
A state-of-the-art camera and audio system will be installed in squad cars if the City Council awards a contract to purchase the system Monday.
"This will record images as well as audio, and it has a rear seat video recording system," Mayor Craig Berenstein said Friday.
In a report to the council, Police Capt. Mel Williams said the current in-car taping system is obsolete and he recommended the council award the contract for the new system to International Police Technologies of Tulsa, Okla., for $221,522.
The department wants to buy 35 "Visionhawk" in-car units with wireless and removable hard drive upload options, 35 radar interfaces, software, transmitters, antennae, external microphones, software and other equipment to run the system. The company would provide three days of on-site training and install the units in the police cars.
Williams reported that officers now have to dictate their reports.
"The taping system involves considerable employee hours to download, store and erase tapes," he said. "The current system lacks most of the features offered by the new system."
The Visionhawk system records images and sounds to a hard drive in the police vehicles.
"It has 60-second pre-event recording, background recording and will interface with our current radar units," Williams said. "The system also includes rear-seat video recording, in-car audio recording and two-officer audio recording."
The recordings will automatically download to the city's computer system when the police cars are parked in the Police/Fire Headquarters lot.
If the council approves the request, Williams said the majority of the units can be delivered in July for immediate installation.
Berenstein noted the system will be paid for with money that is in the police department's capital improvements program budget, as well as $10,500 in grant money from a Governor's Traffic Bureau Safety Grant. The department also will request another grant from the safety bureau next year to pay for the final five units.
Berenstein also announced the council on Monday will begin the process to lease space No. 4 in the Martin Luther King Jr. Transportation Center, 525 Fifth St., to OrbitCom Inc. The Sioux Falls-based company wants to open a sales office in Sioux City and staff it with three people.
Because the King Center is located in an urban renewal area, the city must give 30-days notice of its intent to lease the office and advertise for other proposals. No other proposals are expected, however.
A state-of-the-art camera and audio system will be installed in squad cars if the City Council awards a contract to purchase the system Monday.
"This will record images as well as audio, and it has a rear seat video recording system," Mayor Craig Berenstein said Friday.
In a report to the council, Police Capt. Mel Williams said the current in-car taping system is obsolete and he recommended the council award the contract for the new system to International Police Technologies of Tulsa, Okla., for $221,522.
The department wants to buy 35 "Visionhawk" in-car units with wireless and removable hard drive upload options, 35 radar interfaces, software, transmitters, antennae, external microphones, software and other equipment to run the system. The company would provide three days of on-site training and install the units in the police cars.
Williams reported that officers now have to dictate their reports.
"The taping system involves considerable employee hours to download, store and erase tapes," he said. "The current system lacks most of the features offered by the new system."
The Visionhawk system records images and sounds to a hard drive in the police vehicles.
"It has 60-second pre-event recording, background recording and will interface with our current radar units," Williams said. "The system also includes rear-seat video recording, in-car audio recording and two-officer audio recording."
The recordings will automatically download to the city's computer system when the police cars are parked in the Police/Fire Headquarters lot.
If the council approves the request, Williams said the majority of the units can be delivered in July for immediate installation.
Berenstein noted the system will be paid for with money that is in the police department's capital improvements program budget, as well as $10,500 in grant money from a Governor's Traffic Bureau Safety Grant. The department also will request another grant from the safety bureau next year to pay for the final five units.
Berenstein also announced the council on Monday will begin the process to lease space No. 4 in the Martin Luther King Jr. Transportation Center, 525 Fifth St., to OrbitCom Inc. The Sioux Falls-based company wants to open a sales office in Sioux City and staff it with three people.
Because the King Center is located in an urban renewal area, the city must give 30-days notice of its intent to lease the office and advertise for other proposals. No other proposals are expected, however.
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City Person wrote on Jun 16, 2007 1:23 PM:
LM wrote on Jun 16, 2007 1:13 PM: