Every day, school safety professionals and administrators are determined to make sure their students are safe and protected from the moment they step onto school grounds until the moment they leave. In fact, according to the 2023 Motorola Solutions Education Survey Report, taken by more than 400 education professionals, the number one priority for schools is to protect students, staff and visitors.

However, these school staff members face challenges and threats every day as they work to keep their communities safe. Providing a real-time perspective during incidents, to capture the details and circumstances leading up to, during and after the event are more important than ever. Body cameras capture video and audio of the incident, providing accurate and indisputable proof of incidents that occur on school grounds, while strengthening the trust of the student body and surrounding community. In addition to providing a first- person view during incidents, visibly worn body cameras can also help de-escalate situations when the person involved in the incident realizes they are being recorded.

Serving as an independent witness, video evidence helps to resolve complaints and disputes by providing transparency and protecting school safety professionals from false accusations. School administrators who provide body cameras as part of a health, safety and accountability program find success in reducing the negative impact of school violence as well as mitigating risk of litigation.

“Body cameras have been the standard in law enforcement for so long, with such positive results – enabling school resource officers and security guards to get those same outcomes as the next step just makes sense,” said Ryan Brady, former school assistant principal, and current Product Sales Consultant for Motorola Solutions, the maker of the VB400 Body Camera that is used by schools and security organizations across the country.

The VB400 body camera is designed for school safety professionals who may encounter threats of abuse or violence. With its rugged exterior and shift-long recording, the VB400 provides footage of events as they occur, allowing immediate response and providing indisputable evidence. Additionally, easy redaction capabilities ensure the identities of individuals - including minors - not involved in the incident are protected.

Another important aspect to keep in mind is communication between technologies, which is critical to facilitate a quick, collaborative response to any incident and potentially avoid unnecessary escalation. For example, integrating a VB400 body camera with two-way radios can allow for a user to activate their body camera simply by pushing the emergency button on their radio. With many ways of connecting to various other technologies, the VB400 enhances the safety of school staff by bridging the gap between them and the rest of the team - enhancing situational awareness, and enabling a coordinated, more informed response.

“Something I love about our VB400 body camera is that it can livestream to the same Video Management System (VMS) which handles a school’s fixed video streams; seeing that first-person perspective alongside an eye in the sky is so useful,” said Brady. With the capability to centralize both your body camera and fixed camera live streams in one VMS platform, you gain complete situational awareness with both cameras’ perspectives shown side by side.

What’s also important when it comes to using body cameras in schools is the capability to securely share footage with administration and law enforcement, while adhering to students’ right to privacy. “The VB400’s backend software, VideoManager EX, is also really well-suited for an educational context. Obviously, a lot of the people you’re dealing with on campus are minors, so easy redaction is a must to protect identities. It also has a really simple but secure mechanism for sharing incidents with prosecutors, although hopefully that isn’t needed too often,” Brady shared.

Whether it’s a hallway altercation or a critical emergency, school staff need to be as well equipped as possible to keep their students safe and protected, while maintaining trust and transparency with both students and the rest of the community. The future of school safety will rely on body cameras and the capability to provide complete situational awareness, no matter the incident, will become the norm.