The Brookhaven Police Department’s camera and data capabilities are on par with the “latest and greatest” in the nation, according to a new PR Newswire report.

In October 2023, the City approved the Police Department’s requests to purchase body cameras, patrol vehicle cameras, Toughbook laptops for police vehicles, and WIFI connections.

The Board of Aldermen approved the purchases at $94,964.02 annually for five years after meeting in executive session with Police Chief Kenneth Collins, City tech consultant Keith Mazer, and Pileum Technology representative Andy Turnage.

“I congratulated the board on stepping up to do this,” Mayor Cox said. “It’s the latest and greatest tech to both serve our community and protect our police officers. Everything will be compatible with the new E911 Call Center.”

Brookhaven Police Department was one of nine departments — in addition to the Maryland State Attorney’s Office and two public school districts in Indiana and Texas — to begin to utilize the POLARIS digital evidence management platform and the TITAN camera management system for real-time crime centers in 2023. The Brookhaven/Lincoln County Central Call Center was announced in January 2023, combining 911 services with police and sheriff’s dispatch, and went fully operational in December 2023.

POLARIS provides enhanced capabilities for observing, collecting, analyzing and sharing digital evidence. Law enforcement gains the ability to capture evidence and enhance investigations through the integration of fixed cameras and mobile applications, along with expanded communication and alert capabilities.

TITAN integrates existing fixed cameras into a real-time map view, enabling law enforcement to respond quickly to unfolding incidents, and to investigate and solve more crimes. It also combines police body camera footage and in-car video directly with POLARIS, offering capabilities like camera registry, crowdsourcing, transcription, translation, and enhanced map functionality.

“We are honored to be the evidence management technology provider of choice for our new and existing clients who trust Utility to provide the transparency they need to support community trust,” said Michael Nark, President and CEO of Utility Inc., the company that provides POLARIS and TITAN. “Our team continued to navigate the rapidly progressing technology and public safety environments, introducing new products … We look forward to the year ahead and continuing to innovate to meet the growing needs of law enforcement agencies around the world.”