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MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. –– Viridian Weapon Technologies recently participated in a presentation featuring the FACT Duty™ Weapon-Mounted Camera (WMC™) to mayors and city officials from across the country at the National League of Cities 2018 Small Cities Council Conference in Independence, Minn. Prominent city leaders, including Independence Mayor Marvin Johnson; Lincoln, Alabama Mayor Lew Watson; longtime Greenbelt, Maryland City Council Member Edward Putens and several others gathered to address challenges, discuss opportunities for small cities and also learn more about the newest law enforcement evidentiary recording technology from Viridian and the West Hennepin Public Safety department, one of the pioneering U.S. police agencies in implementing Viridian’s WMC.
“We had an extremely positive response from the presentation and generated a great deal of interest from officials seeking to protect their cities and officers,” said Viridian General Counsel, Matthew Plowman. “It was a perfect opportunity to make a compelling case to a broad spectrum of city officials about why the FACT Duty WMC makes sense, practically and in analyzing legal risk. Attendees were engaged and eager to investigate this solution further for their own cities.”
FACT Duty WMC
Viridian has created an important new category for law enforcement with the introduction of the FACT camera that is now in various stages of testing and implementation in over 250 agencies across the country. This unique Weapon-Mounted Camera provides an unobstructed view of critical use-of-force events from the end of the firearm, addressing limitations officers can face with body cameras. Body and dash cameras were not designed to capture officer-involved shootings. However, Viridian WMCs were designed specifically for this purpose.
The highly advanced WMC employs a 1080p full-HD digital camera with a microphone and 500 lumen tactical light. Viridian’s proprietary INSTANT-ON® technology automatically activates the camera and microphone whenever the officer draws the firearm from its holster. Not only does this eliminate risk of failure to manually turn on the camera during a critical event, but it also keeps the officer from fumbling with cumbersome equipment.
FACT WMCs do not require the purchase of supplemental equipment or services and are designed exclusively to answer the needs of today’s officers. The WMC generates just a small fraction of the data to manage compared to other law enforcement recording options because it only records when the officer’s weapon is drawn. This results in significantly lower comparative data management costs. The WMCs fit on existing standard-issue firearms and fit seamlessly in multiple duty holster platforms. The cameras feature a battery life of over three hours to handle virtually any scenario. They also incorporate secured data access and are easily rechargeable.
“The introduction of the Viridian Weapon-Mounted Camera appears to be a common-sense, easy-to-use and affordable technology in recording tense encounters for public safety officers,” said Mayor Johnson. “The recorded evidence will be another tool in protecting our officers and Public Safety Department from unwarranted accusations when proper police policies have been followed. After testing the cameras within our department, there was no question about the cameras becoming part of our standard equipment.”
About Small Cities Council
The Small Cities Council is open to municipal officials from member cities with populations of 50,000 or less. Participants share ideas and creative solutions to challenges affecting small cities. Participation in the Council ensures that the interests of small communities are reflected in the National League of Cities (NLC) advocacy efforts. Council objectives are to be recognized as the voice and advocate for small cities, to serve as a resource for municipal officials from small cities and to recruit more small cities to become NLC members. They also ensure that Council members are well-informed about the NLC and can be effective spokespersons about the role of small cities in NLC.
About Viridian Weapon Technologies
Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Viridian Weapon Technologies is devoted to applying cutting-edge technology to design compact, powerful self-defense products for the civilian, military and law enforcement markets. Viridian is the leader in weapon-mounted technology and responsible for a number of firearm innovations including green and red laser sights, LED weapon-mounted illuminators and several shooting accessories including the TacLoc® Holsters. Viridian products are designed and built in the USA. More information is available at ViridianWeaponTech.com.