Following a successful training and deployment process, the Latah County Sheriff’s Department has announced that the agency’s commissioned deputies are now equipped with Utility, Inc.’s patented Eos by UtilityTM body-worn camera technology.
The technology facilitates policy-based, high-speed data collection to deliver instant, clear and secure intelligence to support an increase in transparency and accountability between the Latah County Sheriff’s Department and the community.
“When I started at the Latah County Sheriff’s Office in 1996, we were still using micro cassette recorders and had no way to visually record our interactions with the public,” said Richie Skiles, Sheriff of Latah County. “While we have had body cameras since 2007, the technological leaps we have seen are allowing us to have high quality recordings of our interactions with citizens, victims and
suspects. Our partnership with Utility increases the likelihood of criminal convictions, obtaining justice for victims and enhancing transparency with the public, whom we serve.”
The contract with Utility includes outfitting officers with Eos by UtilityTM cameras, which are embedded in the officers’ uniforms to prevent them from detaching. The camera technology utilizes artificial intelligence to create situational awareness and offers features like automatic, policy-based recording functionalities designed to remove the burden from the officers to turn on the cameras. These functions will turn the camera on any time the officer:
• draws their handgun from its holster;
• begins to run;
• jostles or shakes, such as during a fight;
• activates lights and/or sirens in the car;
• unlocks the shotgun/rifle rack; or
• lies flat for 10 seconds – this feature, known as Officer Down, notifies all cars on the district that
an officer is in need of immediate assistance
“We’re proud to serve as a strategic partner to the Latah County Sheriff’s Department as it furthers its commitment to the community,” said Michael Nark, President and Chief Executive Officer of Utility. “Our goal is to ‘never ask officers to do something that technology can do for them,’ and the implementation of Eos technology provides the Latah County Deputies a smart, automated solution so they can maintain focus on those they serve.”
In addition to the body-worn cameras, the department has integrated Utility’s state-of-the art in-car camera and communications technology, ROCKET by UtilityTM into its vehicles. This video system incorporates real-time communications, policy-based automatic recording functionality and real-time GPS positioning to support deputies during critical times.
