Design in now in the works for one of the first Remote Controlled, fully surveillance
equipped, electric helicopters for use by law enforcement. This machine will be capable
of recording live video and/or thermal imaging video and also sending it back to the monitoring command center.
The VSHC will be able to fly up to 1 mile from the command center and locate a person
in a building or in a wooded area in absolute total darkness. Minimal training, (computer simulation)
will be required for flight and video monitoring operator. MORE INFO TO COME IN THE NEAR FUTURE...........

NEWS RELEASE: Shryock Communications does it again.......Shryock Communications located in El Dorado, Arkansas has been designing and building police in-car video systems since 1994 and has just released the newest addition to the Viper Police in-car video family. Described as the new HD system this unit records with the help of a .0 lux, 520 line digital 3.9 to 105.3 zoom camera, a 5.8" color rear view mirror monitor and a DVR recording to a SDHC secure digital card at a resolution of 704x480 lines. System comes complete with pre-record, password protection, on screen display of all activition modes, time-date, department name, GPS coordinates, patrol car speed and heading. System even includes a 1 GB. starter SD card so there is nothing else to buy - once you receive your system you are up and running. Installation is a snap with only three wires to connect to the plug-n-play unit. The system is topped off with a 900 mhz. 1000' range rechargeable body mic system which also activates the video system and even more the system will automatically activate the officers body mic in a few seconds should he forget to turn it on. The new HD system may also be activated by the patrol car reaching a pre-set speed. The unbelieveable price for this entire system is only $2995.00 and available through their website or through one of their distributors. This, as all of the Viper Police systems, is aimed at the smaller police and law enforcement agencies throughout the U.S.

Subject:	Re: Viper Police in car video
To:	"Don Shryock" <admin@policeincarvideo.com>
From:	"Shane Wyrsch" <swyrsch@fs.fed.us> Add to Address Book Add Mobile Alert
Date:	Fri, 20 Oct 2006 21:47:45 -0400

Hi Don,
Sounds like you may remember me...great.  I see from your website you 
have
some new products out there.  Yes this camera system has been 
outstanding
for the type of work we do and many of our officers have asked about 
it.
The camera stopped working yesterday after I repositioned it while 
going
down a bumpy gravel road.  I noticed the blue screen on the monitor the
read "no external video source detected" or something. I couldn't 
believe
it stopped working and actually took a look inside.
I removed the hot glue and located the problem.  I was able to hold the
wire that was soldered to where it belonged and the camera worked.  The
problem is that soldered wire came off of where it is supposed to be 
and
needs to be re-attached.  So, I am wondering could i just send the 
camera
portion back to you.  Removing the monitor would be some work and  I am
currently training a new officer for the next 3 weeks.  I am almost 
certain
the problem is in the camera and not the monitor.  It would also be 
alot
easier for me and probably a faster turn around if I could just send 
the
camera.  Will this work for you?  If you look at the camera and then 
decide
you need the monitor too I guess I would have to send it in a few 
weeks.
Thank you for your professionalism Don and I really appreciate you 
getting
back to me so soon.  Shane

Shane Wyrsch
Law Enforcement/Field Training Officer C.I.T.
Snoqualmie Ranger District
Office 360-825-6585 xt. 213
Cell 253-350-9437
Fax 360-825-0660
IBM swyrsch @ fs.fed.us

COLUMBUS, Ohio — When Columbus police officers fatally shot an armed man after a traffic chase this month, two of the cruisers on the scene were equipped with video cameras. Neither worked.

The incident highlighted how far the Police Division is from achieving Mayor Michael B. Coleman's 6-year-old goal of installing cameras in all of the city's patrol cruisers.

Of the roughly 200 cruisers on the city's streets and highways, 63 are equipped with cameras, said Lt. Charles Chapman, of the police property section.

An additional 20 cameras are in storage, removed for repairs or waiting to be installed in new cruisers ordered this year.

"The cameras are a vital law-enforcement tool," Chapman said. "It's in the city's best interest to have these in every cruiser. It benefits everyone, except the criminal."

"They're worn out," said Ralph Gillilan, a police property clerk. "These cameras take a beating. The bottom line is, they all need replaced."

The safety director's office is looking to the U.S. Justice Department for help. A recent grant will allow the purchase of 31 cameras for the freeway patrol, said Assistant Safety Director Barb Seckler.

The city is preparing another application to seek federal funding for 170 cameras to cover the rest of the patrol fleet, she said.

Most of the city's cameras use 8mm videotape, but the new cameras are likely to use digital technology.

Digital cruiser cameras, including software and microphones for the officers, can cost up to $6,000 each, Chapman said.

Although the cameras are seen as important, police administrators have been more inclined to spend capital funds to replace the aging cruisers than to add cameras.

Officer Robert Barrett of the freeway patrol drives a cruiser equipped with one of the division's few VHS cameras. He's heard complaints about problems with the 8mm systems.

"I love this camera," he said. "I'm hoping when I get my next cruiser, I can keep this particular camera. I don't ever want to be in a car without one."

Barrett said the small camera, mounted beside the rearview mirror, is invaluable in recording the erratic driving of impaired motorists and the resulting field-sobriety tests on drunken-driving suspects. The cameras can be turned to record interviews with suspects in the cruiser's back seat.

The videos also exonerate most officers accused of rude or abusive behavior, he said.

In February, a videotape of a State Highway Patrol trooper fatally shooting an armed man after a traffic stop in Fayette County provided dramatic evidence that the trooper was in a life-and-death struggle with the man before shooting him. The tape confirmed the trooper's version of events, showing that the suspect fired first.

Of the Highway Patrol's roughly 1,200 marked cruisers, about 1,000 are equipped with cameras, said Sgt. Craig Cvetan.

In the past year, troopers have fired their weapons in four incidents, and three of the shootings were caught on cruiser video, he said.

The Franklin County sheriff's office has about a dozen cameras for its 42 patrol cars, said Sgt. Carl Hickey. Most of the cameras use 8mm video, but the agency wants to switch to digital and find funding to get cameras in all marked cruisers.

In Cincinnati, all 266 of the city's marked cruisers are equipped with cameras, said Lt. Thomas Lanter. The city is in the process of upgrading from VHS and has installed digital cameras in 102 cruisers.

In Cleveland, the police cruisers don't have cameras, although a pilot program is studying the technology, said Lt. Thomas Stacho.

The cameras are automatically activated when an officer turns on a cruiser's lights and siren. The equipment also can be manually activated from inside the cruiser or from a remote switch on the officer's belt.

A monitor inside the cruiser allows the officer to see what the camera is recording and to zoom in or out on objects such as license plates.

The tapes are treated as evidence and are stored in the police property room. The Columbus policy is to retain each tape for two years. A cabinet in the property room holds more than 7,600 8mm tapes and more than 1,880 VHS tapes, Chapman said.

The images from digital cameras can be downloaded to a computer, making storage easier, he said.

Regardless of the format, the resulting images are seen as critical sources of evidence for officers such as Barrett.