FEBRUARY 19, 2019

Vernon Police First in Texas to Deploy FACT Duty Cameras

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – February 18, 2019 – The Vernon Police Department has implemented the FACT Duty™ Weapon-Mounted Camera (WMC™) from Viridian® Weapon Technologies. Viridian and the City of Vernon will hold a joint press conference as Vernon becomes the first agency in the state of Texas to formally adopt this technology. Chief Randall Agan and Viridian officials will speak on Tuesday, February 19 at 10:00 am at police headquarters: 1306 Main Street Vernon, TX 76384.

In addition to Vernon’s deployment, there are more than 50 other departments in Texas currently testing and evaluating the FACT Duty WMC. Nationally there are over 400 agencies testing and implementing this new technology.

The FACT Duty fits standard police duty weapons and holsters and records automatically, providing an unobstructed view from the end of an officer’s firearm. The need for this product continues to be validated in current events throughout the United States.

“We saw the importance of this technology when testing and that’s why we are announcing this today,” said Police Chief Agan. “This is easy to implement and affordable, but most importantly we feel it benefits our officers. The challenges they face today mean that having this visibility into potential use-of-force incidents is very important. And we have already seen the FACT Duty help us gain valuable footage from the field that was not captured by other camera systems.”

Viridian has created an important new category for law enforcement with the introduction of the FACT camera. This unique Weapon-Mounted Camera provides an unobstructed view of critical use-of-force events from the end of the firearm, addressing limitations officers can face with body cameras.

The highly advanced WMC employs a 1080p full-HD digital camera with a microphone and 500 lumen tactical light. Viridian’s proprietary INSTANT-ON® technology automatically activates the camera and microphone whenever the officer draws the firearm from its holster. Not only does this eliminate risk of failure to manually turn on the camera during a critical event, but it also keeps the officer from fumbling with cumbersome equipment.

“The Vernon Police and Chief Agan’s announcement today is a big milestone,” said Viridian President and CEO Brian Hedeen. “Their deployment of the FACT Duty is not only the first in the state of Texas—but it shows how committed they are to modern policing. Our WMC provides a perspective that did not exist before it was in the field. It is our hope that the WMCs help Vernon and all other departments across the country feel more prepared for situations they may face while on duty.”

Easy Purchase and Implementation

FACT WMCs do not require the purchase of supplemental equipment or services and are designed exclusively to answer the needs of today’s officers. The WMC generates just a small fraction of the data to manage compared to other law enforcement recording options because it only records when the officer’s weapon is drawn.

After the purchase of the WMC, there are no maintenance fees, monthly charges or other significant expenses required. This results in significantly lower comparative data management costs than other evidentiary camera systems. The FACT Duty is a one-and-done solution for law enforcement administrators and purchasing departments.

The WMCs fit on existing standard-issue firearms and fit seamlessly in multiple duty holster platforms, making it easy for implementation by any law enforcement agency. The cameras feature a recording time of over three hours to handle virtually any scenario. They also incorporate secured data access and are easily rechargeable.

Body and dash cameras were not designed to capture officer-involved shootings. However, Viridian WMCs were designed specifically for this purpose.

Video footage, digital assets and information is available in our press kit and more on FACT Duty WMCs can be found at ViridianWeaponTech.com/FACT-Duty-Learn-More.

About Viridian Weapon Technologies

Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Viridian Weapon Technologies is devoted to applying cutting-edge technology to design compact, powerful self-defense products for the civilian, military and law enforcement markets. Viridian is the leader in weapon-mounted technology and responsible for a number of firearm innovations including green and red laser sights, LED weapon-mounted illuminators and several shooting accessories including the TacLoc® Holsters. Viridian products are designed and built in the USA. More information is available at ViridianWeaponTech.com.


Press Contact
Tim Brandt
Viridian Weapon Technologies
tim@murrayroadagency.com