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[Review] Bodycams for police: Zepcam T2

The Zepcam T2 is a bodycamera, developed for police departments and paramedics. Nowadays it’s being used in the industry aswell (supervision or demos). 

Introduction

Since the updated camera law of 25 may 2018, police officers in Belgium can now use bodycameras and/or dashcams, without obligations. This means that you are allowed to record civilians during an intervention or a chase.

There are some obligations though. You have to wear the camera visible on your uniform and the recorded person should be informed he is being filmed.

The most important advantages for police

The biggest advantage of bodycameras is their dissuasive influence on criminals. You basically scare them when they are up to something. Right now, especially at large events such as football games or manifestations, police departments already use bodycameras.

Another advantage is that you are able to use the recorded footage afterwards for training purposes. Nothing better than to learn from a real intervention.

In addition bodycameras offer protection to police officers when falsely accused. Images don’t lie and are unbiased.

Zepcam T2 in short

The Zepcam T2 is a bodycamera, developed for police departments and paramedics. Nowadays it’s being used in the industry aswell (supervision or demos).

It is a small but manageable camera, which saves recorded footage in the internal memory. Only afterwards, you rewatch or edit through the video management system.

Okay, but can’t I just buy a GoPro then? Not really. The footage of a GoPro aren’t protected and the surveillance/management of these body cameras make a big difference for civil services.

Encryption of images is essential and what’s the point of having these images when you are not able to do anything with them. Or better, when you don’t know who even made the footage. I’ll explain more about video management later on.

Furthermore, as a police officer, you should focus on the job, rather than recording civilians. Zepcam has a separate docking station. It charges your bodycamera in roughly 4 hours, so that you’re back on the road without too much waste of time.

Technical specifications

The T2 bodycamera is a lightweight camera, in a solid shell. We could ramble on about the specs, but here are the most important ones:

  • Recording in HD (720p) or Full HD (1080p): Pay attention, recording in Full HD takes up more space.
  • Recording time: 7 hours non-stop with a fully charged battery.
  • Tagging-button: with this button, you can tag certain events in your footage and fast forward afterwards.
  • Storage: 32 GB or 64 GB internal memory (12 hours in HD with 32 GB)
  • 140° field of view: a very large field of view
  • Built-in infrared light: night vision mode
  • Built-in microphone
  • Built-in GPS: you don’t have to use another smartphone for location tracking.
  • Robustness: IP65
  • Adaptors:
  • Adjustable adaptor for positioning your camera on your shoulder.
  • Magnetic fixation for easy placement on your body, without damaging your uniform.
  • Dimensions: 78x58x23 mm (HxWxD)
  • Weight: 125 grams

Pro tip:

We advise not to record all day, due to its limits on internal storage. You just start/stop a recording whilst pressing the big button in the middle.

Have you started recording too late? Don’t worry, the Zepcam T2 has a built-in buffer functionality which allows 30 seconds extra time before recording.

docking station

You can connect your Zepcam T2 with a USB charging cable to your computer. However, this isn’t very efficient when working with ten or even hundreds of cameras. That’s when the docking station comes into play.

It’s the key facilitator between all of your zepcams and your own network. It is a standalone solution with Ethernet connection. This way, you don’t have to use another computer with internet connection.

Zepcam’s docking station is available in 2 versions: 4 or 8 bodycams. Charging time varies between 4 hours per camera and status is being displayed with LED lights.

It has a very fast hard drive with 128 or 256 gigabyte of buffer storage. Uploading footage directly from camera to server is heavily dependent on internet speeds. This drive makes it possible to quickly download your footage, so your camera is free for use more often.

Besides, you are not limited to one bodycam per person. Sometimes you just need more flexibility. Zepcam has a built-in function to use your bodycams on a pool-base. The docking station then asks for a user ID when detaching a camera.

This way, it doesn’t matter which camera you use, the images are always linked to your unique ID. Just like a pool car. Moreover, you don’t need any smartphone for the connection.

Docking station for 4 bodycamsDocking station for 8 bodycams

Video management software

Zepcam developed its own application to view, edit, delete,…recordings. In addition, you can grant rights and roles to different users.

It’s worth mentioning that the Zepcam software is not limited to just one camera. The application recognizes other cameras such as dashcams, drones or even CCTV. Expandability is thus easy to setup if you’re planning to buy multiple sorts of cameras.

Finally, the application is responsive. This means a user friendly interface on your smartphone, tablet and desktop pc.

Dispatch rooms

Large police departments work with external dispatching rooms, based on other video management software such as Milestone, Genetec or Cisco.

Zepcam has developed an API. This API creates a connection between your current application and their own Zepcam software. This way you can still process footage on your trusted way.

Here is a small selection of third party integrations:

Zepcam t2 in practice

How does this all work in practice? What happens to the filmed footage and how does it get to the right person or dispatch room?

  • You take your bodycam out the docking station, either using it poolbased with a unique ID or not.
  • During an intervention you decide to capture the moment of truth. Video, audio and GPS are securely saved on the internal storage of your bodycam. When you’re on duty at night, the bodycam uses its night vision functionality.
  • Later that day you return at the office and put your camera into the docking station.
  • The docking station is now downloading your recordings to its builtin hard drive. This way, your bodycam has free storage.
  • While your bodycam is charging, the dockingstation sends the footage to your server, either cloud based or to a dedicated server on your premises.

Through the web application in your internet browser you can now view, edit or delete footage. Do you rather work with your trusted software, then you use the Zepcam API.

Conclusion

Alongside the big boys, Zepcam is definitely a match. On the contrary, with different handy features it is one of the better bodycams for police.

Built-in GPS tracks every recording and you don’t need an extra smartphone.

You are not limited to a fixed camera per person. Through a unique ID, you connect whatever camera to a specific police officer.

Especially the video management system is very flexible and accessible. The web based application is very user friendly. Expandability of camera’s is not difficult to setup and the connection with your current software is never gone.

In general: a very robust, but subtle bodycam for police with useful features, a large docking station and intuitive management system.