Customised Samsung Galaxy Z Flips employed by U.S. cops have yielded “incredible results” according to one chief of police.

Two years ago Missouri police at Kimberling City and Indian Point conducted a trial testing out new devices to assist in day to day operations.

Officers were equipped with Samsung Galaxy Z Flip series smartphones to help them find efficiencies in their work through several methods, including using the phones as a body worn camera. 

After a six-month trial the Galaxy Z Flip devices were then expanded to County Sheriff’s departments in Texas and Arkansas.

Samsung collaborated with Visual Labs to customise the phones.

They remapped the external volume button to start the body camera recordings in urgent situations without the need to turn on the display or open the smartphone. 

“The body camera function can also be activated by detecting high speed while pursuing a suspect or when connected to the dash-cam solution, through the activation of emergency lights,” Samsung said. “These features provide police officers with additional methods to promptly begin recording their surroundings, enhancing their ability to capture critical events.”

The foldable Galaxy Z Flip series’ compact and foldable form meant easy attachment to police uniforms.

US police officer wearing a Galaxy Z Flip. Image: Samsung.

 

Other benefits included a high quality camera for photos and video recording of crime scenes, arrests and witness statements, long battery life and features such as stabilisation and fast access to recordings. 

Using Visual Labs technology, video data can also be stored in the cloud instantaneously, Samsung said, allowing footage to be livestreamed to the police force’s command centre and viewed in real time.

“It can support other agency-specific applications such as computer-aided dispatch, criminal justice database queries and even push-to-talk, helping law enforcement log crimes and activity in real time and while on the move,” Samsung said.

Kimberling City Police Department Chief of Police, Todd Lemoine said: “We chose the Galaxy Z Flip due to the wide array of benefits it brings to our team, and we’re delighted to say that we’ve had incredible results. We’ve seen response and investigation efforts be significantly improved by its overall ease of use and ability to enhance communications across teams. These devices put powerful resources right at the fingertips of our force.”

The phone is now being rolled out to 25 metro police departments across five US states.