Police departments are hesitant to spend thousands of dollars a year to use Axon or Watchguard’s cloud services to store their data. The services are pricey and police departments often find they can build their own solutions on-site for less, even just storing bodycam videos on removable hard drives or an extra PC.

OMAG wants departments to reconsider the cloud. These services are hosted online in always-on top-tier data centers around the country and protected from threats like hackers and tornadoes.

The cloud storage allows an officer to dock their bodycam and the video is automatically uploaded without any manual steps. From there, the cloud software reminds the officer to flag and retain video that may have been part of an incident, while alerting supervisors about officers that need to flag their videos. Videos not related to an incident are automatically expired and deleted, saving storage space. When the time comes to redact, edit, or share a video, there are built-in tools that make this process easier for a Chief or PIO. Most importantly, these systems are redundantly backed up in the cloud and protected against crashes or tornadoes, stored according to CJIS compliance requirements, and secure from hackers and viruses. Plus, you’re upgraded automatically by the vendor, so you never have to upgrade servers again.

All of this is audited and logged so that each video adheres to chain of custody and follows federal and State standards.

Dashcam and bodycam is digital evidence. Much like physical evidence must be properly cared for, digital evidence needs its own “locker” and to adhere to chain of custody and auditing requirements. On-site, these systems are more complex to manage, if you even have the right software. While you might save money, you won’t save time, and you may not be compliant either.