Samsung has revealed in a new blog post that its Galaxy Z Flip series devices are being adopted by law enforcement agencies as bodycams.
This initiative marked the first time a foldable device was used by police as a bodycam. Following the pilot program’s success, two additional police departments have also adopted the Flip devices for use as bodycams. The solutions from the pilot tests are now being extended to 25 metro police departments across five states.
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The Flip devices used in the police tests were customized in collaboration with Visual Labs, a company specializing in repurposing mobile devices for use as body and dash cameras. Modifications, such as remapping the volume button to start the camera, were made to facilitate quicker and easier recording in the field, according to Samsung.
This unique use case is a noteworthy angle for Samsung to highlight for its US audience. The Verge, reporting on Samsung’s blog post, also referenced an investigation by ProPublica and The New York Times, which showed that local policies could undermine the effectiveness of bodycams, either by delaying or preventing the release of footage.
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Samsung is not the only tech company to venture into law enforcement applications. Amazon-owned smart doorbell company Ring previously had policies regarding footage sharing with officers, which they later reversed. Additionally, there are ongoing discussions about how law enforcement agencies are utilizing technologies such as facial recognition and drones.
Source: Engadget
