Iowa DNR To Get Smart Phone Body Cameras
Iowa's nature lovers and outdoor enthusiasts may soon notice that DNR officers will be wearing new smart phone body cameras.
The technology that will help advance the Iowa DNR into the 21 century is being supplied by Visual Labs.
The Iowa DNR has done it's due diligence in its research before deciding on which body cam to use. They have spent years reviewing various models before deciding to partner with Visual Labs, which allow the DNR to use a smartphone that can also function as a body cam.
According to KWWL, Iowa DNR rangers and conservation officers have jobs that are uniquely different compared to a typical sheriff's officer. A standard issue body camera that is used by other police departments may not meet the needs of a conservation officer in their often remote outdoor environments.
"Our officers don't work out of a standard office like a police department or sheriff's office. Our officers are all working independently on their own, out of their own offices, so we needed something very simple to use" - Iowa DNR Conservation Officer Dakota Drish
The technology provided by Visual Labs will allow an officer's smartphone to behave like a body camera, with footage that is immediately uploaded to a cloud system to be accessed by DNR supervisors.
Since the video uploading feature requires internet access, it can be paused if the officer is working in a remote area without worrying that the captured video will be deleted.
The new technology allows the DNR to document its encounters with citizens by recording all those communications.
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