Friday, September 28, 2012

PSM Group: Public Safety Manufacturers

For those that haven't heard of PSM Group before, they are a group of manufacturers with products created specifically for the public safety realm.  This group is comprised Bates Footwear, V.H. Blackinton & Co., Damascus Protective Gear, Gould & Goodrich, Peerless Handcuff Company, Strong Leather Co., and U.S. Armor.  The goal of this grouping is for the companies to work together...which in turn leads to new product ideas, innovation, and reduced costs for their public safety customers!



The PSM Group's website is a great educational tool to learn more about the various products from these companies.  It is also a fantastic place to enter to win some of the various products from these companies.  The PSM Group does a monthly drawing for a prize package of the latest gear from the companies associated with PSM Group.  Each monthly grab bag is valued at over $1,000.  To enter to win, visit the PSM Group's Contest Page.
















Wednesday, September 26, 2012

FI Card Apps

Every officer knows what an FI Card is.  For those readers that are unaware, it's a Field Interview Card.  They are utilized when an officer stops and talks with someone on the street, they may not be under arrest though. It is a generally a notebook sized questionnaire that asks name, DOB, address, school, scars, nicknames, tattoos, gang affiliation, and other questions that enable full description of the person. The information is then usually entered into a data bank.  Information can then be retrieved if there is a crime where a victim alerts offers to a nickname or a tattoo.

With the advances in technology there is no longer a need to carry around the little notebook to do FI's.  There are various smartphone apps that allow you to complete the forms on your phone and even upload them directly to the the database that they are stored in.  Doing this interview on a smart phone also allows the opportunity to include pictures of both the person as well as any distinguishing marks (such as scars or tattoos).

Field Contact is one of the top selling FI Card apps for iPhone.  Field Contact is the most technologically advanced and convenient way to document, photograph, search and email all aspects of your law enforcement contacts directly to your iPhone.  The app can be downloaded from the app store (currently it is $4.99).

There are also similar apps for Android phones, such as Police Field Interview FI Card.  Police Field Interview FI Card is currently selling for $5.99 in the Android app store.  It has the same capabilities of Field Contact.

These apps are great for departments looking to save on the cost of paper goods, as well as those looking to upgrade to electronic 'paperwork'.

Friday, September 21, 2012

Tachyon: Tough Tactical Cameras

Tachyon, Inc. are the leading manufacturers of tough tactical cameras. Cameras are not only tough, but cost-efficient.  They are all built with the needs and budgets of law enforcement in mind.  

All cameras from Tachyon, Inc. are wide-angle, date & Time-stamped HD videos.  These have numerous benefits for your department:

  • Increased Professionalism - Knowing that their actions can easily be reviewed because they were recorded, officers tend to be more likely to strictly adhere to the rules and regulations set forth by their department.  No one wants to be the spoof video of what not to do used in training classes.
  • Training - As just mentioned, those videos of what to do and what no to do come from somewhere.  And there is no better way to teach new officers how to appropriately approach and interact with a subject than actual footage that shows what can happen in the field.
  • Officer Safety - Officer safety is two-fold.  By recording incidents as they occur, officers are protected against false claims of overly-assertive force or even abuse.  The cameras also record assaults taken against police officers.  


There are night vision cameras with invisible IR light that are also must-have gear for tactical units, Four-hour plus video recording time and a rechargeable battery meets every policeman's need. 

The Dash Cam plugs into the cruiser's 12V outlet, ensuring that the camera never run out of power. Compatible with 64GB memory cards, you can save up 20 hours of video before they begin to overwrite older footage.


Tachyon, Inc. is currently offering an amazing promotion where you can try their cameras free of charge!  To utilize this promotion, 

  1. Put the items that you want in your cart
  2. Fill in your information (be sure to use the department's information)
  3. Click the "Test & Evaluate (No Payment Needed)" button



adding to your cart, checking out, and filling out your information be sure to click on the "Test & Evaluate (No Payment Needed)" button.

Friday, September 14, 2012

The Newest In Search & Rescue

As any person in the emergency services field knows, time is always of the essence...especially in areas such as search and rescue.  Unfortunately, sometimes conditions are unsafe for rescuers to search for injured persons and sometimes it is physically impossible for rescuers (or search animals) to comb through wreckage to find the injured.  And when they are in need of emergency medical help, they don't have hours or days for someone to find them.

Because of this, a team of engineers at North Carolina State University have come up with a solution...and a very unlikely hero!  They have determined that cockroaches (yes, cockroaches) could have the ability to assist in the saving of many lives in rescue missions.

By outfitting the cockroach with a computer chip (much like a backpack) engineers are able to control the movement of the insect through electrical pulses via a computer.  Combine that with the ability to add a small camera and rescuers are able to quickly look through wreckage and rubble for survivors.  A small microphone can also be added to the chip, which would allow rescuers to communicate with survivors when they were found.

Doug Nakama of the San Diego Fire Department said, "Time is critical. The golden hour for victims is critical for the survivability rate.  The roaches could prove important if they can reach areas search dogs and cameras cannot."

To answer the question, "why cockroaches?"...the engineers determined that it was significantly more cost efficient to utilize the insects than it would be to attempt to build a robot that had the size and maneuverability of a cockroach.

Check out the following video to see these cockroaches in action...

Cyborg Cockroaches: The Future of Search and... by NewsyVideos