WYTHEVILLE, VA – The Wytheville, Virginia Police Department recently purchased 36 WOLFCOM VISION Police Body Cameras. The purchase included docking stations, battery packs and Evidence Management Software by WOLFCOM.
“Body Cameras are valuable equipment for police officers. This is why we at WOLFCOM work hard to make the best and most configurable body cameras on the market. The Wytheville PD noticed a major difference in the quality of their WOLFCOM VISIONS vs. the Muvi body cameras they had been using,” said WOLFCOM Founder Peter Austin Onruang.
Investigator John Claypool manages his department’s body camera program and spoke about his officers’ experience with body cameras.
“So far the Wolfcom Visions have been working great. Our Chief and officers vouch for their quality. Most of our officers wear them on their chests, but a few wear them on their epaulets. The video quality is excellent and the officers find the cameras and the software easy to use. Additionally, the officers find it easy to playback video and burn CDs for court,” said Claypool.
“Prior to the WOLFCOM VISION, we were using the small MUVI body cameras. When we switched, it was a night and day difference. Our chief is very innovative and forward-thinking and wants to get the latest police technology and equipment for our officers. We started using body cameras before all of the recent push for them after Ferguson. The Chief thought it was a good idea. We had used in-car cameras for about 20 years, but in-car cameras can’t capture the same point of view angle that a body camera can. The department was able to get the first cameras through a grant. After seeing the difference the body cameras made with our DUI cases and lowering officer complaints, we were convinced that the body cameras were valuable equipment,” said Claypool.
“The MUVI cameras were a great starting point and laid the foundation for our body camera usage. However, as they began to age, we decided it was time to upgrade to better quality body cameras. At the time all of the stories were breaking in Ferguson and New York about the need for body cameras, so we asked our Town Council and they approved funding for us to buy new ones,” said Claypool.
“We were researching body cameras at the same time as Roanoke Virginia PD. In speaking with representatives from Roanoke PD, they recommended the WOLFCOM Body Cameras. We originally were looking at the WOLFCOM 3rd Eye because some of our officers liked the radio microphone feature. But we were upgrading our radio system at the time and they weren’t compatible with our new system, so we chose the WOLFCOM Visions,” said Claypool.
“Our officers liked the 32 gig capability and the advanced pre-record as well as the fact that the body cameras were drop-tested and Roanoke PD commented on the durability of the body camera. We eventually want to use them for live video streaming using a 3G module. We also liked that it’s designed with the future in mind so it’s expandable to be adaptable for future technology rather than being obsolete within six months of our purchasing them,” said Claypool.