San Bernardino Co. Sheriff's Department Receives 2 K9 Video, GPS Vests

RANCHO CUCAMONGA (CBSLA.com) — Universal Surveillance Systems LLC has donated two state-of-the-art customized tracking canine vests to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department Rancho Cucamonga Station.

The specialized vests, which are each outfitted with a GPS, can track the hounds around the clock while recording and transmitting audio and video of suspect apprehensions and canine training for the department's new Bloodhound K9 Tracking Unit.

"Crime prevention is at the heart of the USS mission, and these high-tech tracking canine vests will provide local law enforcement with an amazing new tool to keep our community safe," Adel Sayegh, USS president and CEO, said in a statement. "USS is proud to support the San Bernardino County Sheriff's with this donation by using our expertise in the latest surveillance technology to greatly enhance their new tracking canine program."

The vests' compact cameras, which are waterproof to 30 feet for use in rough terrain, can record audio and an hour and a half of HD video at the highest video resolution.

Up to 3,000 still photos can also be taken via remote control.

Law enforcement has complete control of the camera through its Wi-Fi interface on a smartphone or laptop to monitor live audio and video.

The GPS unit transmits the dog's location, with built-in sensors to indicate whether it is sitting, running or barking.

"The hi-tech vests from USS have become indispensable for training," Deputy Mike Mason said. "They allow us to record every move so that the entire trail can be reviewed later in detail to find areas of improvement much like football teams utilize video of their last game to perfect their plays. We have found this function to be critical in building the officer-dog relationship that determines the effectiveness of our team."

The Bloodhound K9 Tracking Unit includes two deputies and two bloodhounds, Dare and Deja, who will assist the department in finding suspects, as well as missing children, adults and objects.

"These dogs will be able to trail and track lost 3-year-olds, Alzheimer's patients, criminals, people that run from us," Deputy Ryan Girard said.