Panasonic Toughbook Arbitrator 360°

USAT Corp. is proud to offer the Panasonic Toughbook Arbitrator 360° in-car digital video system. The Toughbook Arbitrator 360° is Panasonic’s powerful mobile digital video surveillance platform. The Arbitrator 360° is an improvement over previous in-car models most notably because it can support up to 6 cameras, recording in a circle around the police vehicle - providing state-of-the art protection for Law Enforcement personal and increased evidence collection capabilities. The software that serves as the heart of the Arbitrator 360° system, called Commander, can transmit the digital video data wirelessly, ensuring a secure chain-of-evidence. For agencies that do not yet have wireless coverage or wireless capabilities, manual data removal can be implemented.

USAT Corp. is MV-TP3 authorized by Panasonic to integrate end-to-end Arbitrator digital mobile video solutions. Please see the press release about this certification here. USAT offers turn-key service to our clients who need it including:

• Panasonic Arbitrator 360° equipment component consultative sales
• Panasonic Arbitrator 360° back-end server and software installation service
• Panasonic Arbitrator hardware in-car installation service, including trigger set-up
• Download Spec Sheet

If you are interested in speaking with someone who is knowledgable about how the Panasonic Arbitrator system can benefit your organization, please click here to send an email request or call us toll-free at 1-888-550-USAT.

In-Car Video Project Development White Paper

With Thanks to the Eugene Police Commission:

Over the past several months, several video system vendors have demonstrated their products to a group of Eugene Police Department staff and several Police Commission members. Additionally, site visits to other communities that have successfully implemented in-car video systems in their organizations, most notably Yakima and Seattle, Washington, have been conducted.

Confident that highly functioning video systems are in place and having identified a potential funding source, the department is moving forward with a proposal to outfit its patrol vehicles with digital cameras. In total, the purchase of 41 cameras would be necessary to equip all officer and supervisor patrol vehicles (this would not include school resource or airport officers, detectives, or command staff). It is estimated that each unit will cost about $7500 installed. This cost estimate does not include hardware and software needed for uploading and storage, or on-going staffing needs.

Download whitepaper (PDF - 180KB):

The Impact of Video Evidence on Modern Policing

The Department of Justice's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), a product of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, gives away grant monies each year to be used toward the purchase of in-car cameras. The COPS mission is focused at the local level, advancing community policing by getting more officers on the street and giving them access to technically advanced tools.

USAT is proud to provide The Impact of Video Evidence on Modern Policing: Research and Best Practices from the IACP Study on In-Car Cameras, a comprehensive study about in-car cameras and videotaped evidence that was funded by COPS.

Download study (PDF - 4.8MB):

20 Points About Good In-Car Video Implementation & Usage Practices

1. Upkeep: In-car video equipment and its upkeep are the responsibility of the officer who is using it. Officers should familiarize themselves with the manufacturer's suggested guidelines.
2. Pre-shift checkup: Officers should perform a pre-operational inspection to ensure their equipment is performing. Any problems should be promptly reported to supervisors.
3. Placement: Officers must mount the camera in a position that minimizes obstruction of the driver's windshield view, but still captures a clear view of the vehicle in front of the patrol car, including the occupants and the license plate.
4. Angle: Officers should strive to get the best camera angle possible, but not at the expense of their safety. If camera placement in any way puts an officer in danger, it should not be used. Safety comes first.
5. Lighting: Test the system's ability to recover a license plate image at night when high beams, spotlights and emergency lights are reflected off the rear of the suspect's vehicle. Recommended: a field of view 16 feet wide at a distance of 20 feet from the camera.
6. Monitor placement: The location of the monitor should be carefully considered for ease of use, visibility and safety, and may vary depending on the type of vehicle being used.
7. Avoid unexpected surveillance: If a suspect is in the vehicle while another is being interviewed outside the car, it's advisable to turn off the audio playback so the suspect in your unit can't hear the conversation.
8. Notification: Officers using in-car videos for traffic stops and other public contacts should notify subjects that events are being recorded. This notification, of course, does not apply for crimes in progress where such notification is impossible.
9. A and V: Be sure both video and audio capabilities are activated (see #10). Officers are encouraged to use the audio portion of the recording to narrate events as they occur to help provide more thorough courtroom evidence.
10. Avoid noise disturbance: To prevent bleed over and/or noise from other cameras, only the primary officers initiating the contact should activate audio. Officers responding in a support capacity should leave their audio transmitters off, but activate their video for additional scene perspective.
11. Support your report: Review the recordings when preparing your written report to help ensure accuracy and consistency.
12. Preparing for court: Likewise, while video is valuable as evidence in court, it can also help officers refresh their memories of the events prior to testifying.
13. Keep it pure: Officers should never erase, alter, reuse, modify or tamper with recordings. Only a supervisor or a trained technician may erase and reissue a previously recorded media.
14. Viewing: To prevent damage to the original recorded media, it should be replayed only through the original equipment.