COBAN Launches ECHO Rugged and Compact Body-Worn Cameras

COBAN Technologies an industry leader in body-worn and in-car video solutions for law enforcement, has introduced the ECHO line of rugged and compact body-worn cameras.

ECHO was designed from the outset to address the unique operating environment found in law enforcement applications.  Compatible with COBAN's market-leading video management software suite, agencies can deploy the ECHO body camera system without having to implement onerous new processes or training.  Officers in the field have found ECHO to be intuitive and easy to use, which is especially important during critical, high-stress moments.  They are able to capture important events without having to remember complex, inconsistent instructions or button-pressing actions.  To simplify and shorten the process of uploading videos to back-office storage at the end of an officer's shift, the ECHO system supports automatic uploads when docked to multiple upload solutions, ranging from an in-vehicle dock connected to a laptop or in-car video system, to a high capacity 24-bay kiosk, which can also serve as a management station for rapid offload.

ECHO is managed by the same robust video management, evidence archiving, and back office administration software, which supports several of the largest police departments in the country.  Based on agency policies and procedures, COBAN's flexible storage options and scalable configurations allow agencies of any size, and of varying complexities, to experience a solution that is tailored to fit their needs. Also, in addition to ECHO videos, any evidence or files from other COBAN products, as well as files from any other device, like recordings from cellphones or surveillance systems, can be imported and managed under this unified interface.

"ECHO addresses the most important body cam challenges facing law enforcement agencies today: ease of use, durability, battery life and operations simplicity," says Doug Dickerson, COBAN's president.

ECHO's benefits include:

• High quality video and audio capture at 1080p, 720p, and WVGA
• Long battery life, 8 ½ hours of continuous record time, including Pre-Event mode and 16 hours of standby time
• Rugged IP56 design to protect against water, dust, vibration, heat and cold
• Compact footprint for flexible mounting options
• Simple design that includes record buttons on both sides and a programmable button that can be set by the agency to be used as a tag, mute or covert operations button
• POGO pin technology for video transfer and charging, which is 20 times more durable than mini-USB connectors
• Automatic video transfer and charging without requiring access to a computer
• Multi-bay dock option to manage and upload up to 24 cameras
• Advanced backend video management capable of scaling into millions of videos

ECHO is the most recent addition to COBAN's product line, which includes in-car video cameras and video evidence management solutions. ECHO integrates with COBAN's scalable evidence management systems, which allows:

• Agencies to define the lifecycle of each video based on department polices
• Maintain a complete chain of custody
• Manage all media devices under a unified platform
• Automatically distribute configurations and updates with a click of a button