Firm helps create body cameras for police

SARASOTA — Wireless mobile broadband firm xG Technology announced a partnership with a hardware security firm on a project to create and sell body-worn cameras to law enforcement personnel and other agencies.

The firm will work with Boca Raton-based DirectView on a product scheduled for commercial launch in the third quarter, according to a release. The cameras will be integrated with xG's xMax platform, which the firm says provides a private and secure mobile wireless broadband network. The body-worn cameras, a fast-growing national law enforcement trend, will include high-capacity streaming video and embedded fingerprint access. The initial target markets, say xG officials, will be law enforcement, military, government, education and real estate security.

“We are pleased to announce this agreement with DirectView,” xG Chairman and CEO George Schmitt says in the statement. “This is a testament to the ability of our all-IP private mobile broadband technology to be integrated with a variety of applications serving a broad array of markets. The pairing of DirectView's feature-rich camera hardware with our communications capabilities that have been designed from the ground up to serve the demanding needs of the emergency management and first responder community is an exciting opportunity.”

DirectView Chairman and CEO Roger Ralston also predicts a growing need for real-time video access to personnel in security related operations.

“The native IP design of xMax allows seamless integration with our hardware, and their support for secure, high-reliability streaming video transmissions allows us to offer a comprehensive, market-leading solution to law enforcement, and eventually, other sectors,” Ralston says in the release. “We also look forward to leveraging xG's experience and contacts in the public safety and military markets, where the use of body-worn cameras has become mission-essential.”

xG develops and sells wireless communications and spectrum sharing technologies, mostly in rural communities. The firm is publicly traded on the Nasdaq (symbol: XGTI; recent price: $0.22.) DirectView was founded in 1995 and focuses on protecting and securing spaces in the hospitality industry, office buildings, manufacturing/warehousing and retail stores.