All of Oklahoma’s 114 Game Wardens are now equipped with body cameras to record law enforcement activity.

The Visual Labs body cameras are fully functioning smartphones that are used as a digital camera, audio recorder and GPS tracker. They are waterproof and dustproof.

“Body-worn cameras have been under consideration at ODWC for several years,” said Col. Nathan Erdman, Chief of Law Enforcement for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. “After seeing them in action, it is clear that the body cameras are a very effective tool.”

The cameras will be able to automatically upload video footage from the field. Once a body camera recording is completed, the footage is automatically uploaded. This eliminates the need for docking stations, routers, data cables or any additional hardware.

“The footage and location data were extremely valuable in documenting a recent land access dispute,” Erdman said.

The Visual Labs body camera includes several officer safety features such as the ability to livestream video and audio from the scene. Also, a suite of location analytics, such as heat-mapping capabilities, allows Game Wardens to better document their activities in their assigned areas in daily activity logs for supervisors’ review.

Visual Labs says Monday there were 114 phones in boxes and by noon a quarter of the Department had already been fully trained.

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