How video analytics enhance law enforcement performance 

Video analytics transform raw video into structured data your team can quickly search, filter and verify. Instead of relying on manual review, investigators can instantly focus on the people, vehicles or activities that matter most — and link directly back to the original footage for confirmation. 

BriefCam’s comprehensive platform is comprised of 3 powerful modules: Review, Respond and Research. Using these modules, you can: 

• Review hours of video in minutes (Review) 

• Search across multiple cameras at once (Review) 

• Trigger real-time alerts for defined events (Respond) 

• Visualize trends and patterns through dashboards (Research) 

For law enforcement, this means video isn’t just for evidence after the fact. It becomes a resource that supports investigations, enhances real-time responses and informs long-term strategies. 

Now, let’s look at how BriefCam delivers on these outcomes in each module.  

The first 48 hours of an investigation are critical for successful case resolution. Beyond this window, leads dry up, suspects disappear and the pressure of new cases begins to rise. Video evidence can help your team close cases faster — but only if you can bypass the resource drain of manual video review. Extended review sessions can lead to fatigue and declining accuracy, even for the most experienced investigators. BriefCam’s Review module eliminates that burden by maintaining consistent detection performance across all footage, helping your team move through evidence efficiently and with confidence.

Video Synopsis, our patented technology and a key feature of REVIEW, condenses hours of footage into minutes. It works by eliminating empty space in the video and layering objects and events into a single, concise view — each with a visible timestamp linking back to the original footage for verification. Investigators can then apply filters for clothing, color, vehicle type, movement or dwell time to isolate relevant evidence. The result is a dynamic, searchable view of activity that transforms video from a static archive into actionable intelligence. Synopsis makes review faster, more reliable and significantly more efficient so nothing gets missed. 

Review also allows you to search video using a robust set of filters that help you find what you need: 

• Object characteristics to trace people or vehicles by clothing, color, object type or gender
• Face recognition to search for individuals of interest based on anonymous features or by uploading an image to a watchlist. Please note: Face recognition can be turned off if your local laws don’t allow the use of this technology.
• License plate recognition (LPR) to identify vehicles in uncontrolled, “in-the-wild” conditions. Please note: LPR technology can also be disabled if you're not permitted to use it.
• Movement-based filters such as dwell time, speed, path or direction 

With built-in case management, you can store evidence, annotate findings and share results securely with your team or task force. That means no more chasing files — and the evidentiary chain of custody is preserved. The result: investigations that once took days can be wrapped up in hours. BriefCam helps you move faster, build stronger cases and keep momentum when it matters most.

Sometimes, the difference between a hunch and a solid lead is what you can see on video. In this real-world case, investigators installed a pole camera on a street with reports of heavy drug activity. Over 12 hours of footage were captured and analyzed in BriefCam Review. By filtering and visualizing recurring foot traffic patterns—people arriving and leaving the same residence within minutes—investigators quickly identified activity consistent with narcotics operations. In less than two minutes, they pinpointed the target location and gathered the actionable intelligence needed to secure a warrant and shut it down. 

Watch this video for a step-by-step walk through showing how Hartford PD identified this drug house using BriefCam’s Review module:

In General Pueyrredon, Argentina, the city’s Center of Operations and Monitoring (COM) uses BriefCam analytics to accelerate forensic video analysis and improve investigative accuracy. 

When an armed robbery targeted a car dealership, operators used BriefCam’s search and filtering capabilities to analyze municipal video, applying vehicle details gathered from the scene to reconstruct the suspects’ escape route. The resulting intelligence led officers to the group’s hideout, where they recovered weapons, ammunition and stolen property. 

In another case, the COM used BriefCam to trace a thief responsible for stealing cash and credit cards from a rehabilitation center visitor. By tracking a delivery vehicle linked to fraudulent purchases, investigators located and arrested the suspect within an hour of the report. 

By integrating BriefCam with the city’s existing infrastructure, General Pueyrredon has reduced investigative work time, improved cross-camera analysis and strengthened community safety with plans to expand analytics coverage across hundreds of cameras. 

Investigations solve yesterday’s crimes, but you also need tools to act on today’s threats. Whether it’s an unauthorized person entering a secure facility, a vehicle loitering near a sensitive location or a large gathering that risks spiraling out of control, law enforcement depends on situational awareness, which can be derived through real-time video analytics.

BriefCam Respond delivers that situational awareness with rule-based alerts that trigger the moment specific conditions are met. These alerts can be tailored to address critical situations, including: 

• Vehicles traveling in the wrong direction or parked too long in restricted areas
• People crossing into off-limits or high-security zones
• Objects left unattended in public spaces or transportation hubs
• Faces or license plates matching persons or vehicles of interest 

By monitoring for defined activities, analytics reduce the burden on analysts who can’t possibly watch every live feed. Instead of waiting for human eyes to notice suspicious activity, the system brings active issues to operators’ attention, in real time.

For officers, the impact is significant. Not only do responders receive actionable intelligence before they arrive on scene, which improves both safety and coordination, but supervisors and dispatchers can see exactly what triggered an alert, ensuring resources are deployed effectively. 

This proactive model helps agencies move from reactive policing to preventive intervention. Stopping incidents before they escalate not only improves safety but also strengthens community trust — showing that police are equipped to respond quickly, confidently and effectively. 

Real-world incidents continue to demonstrate the life-saving value of real-time alerting from day one. A BriefCam law enforcement customer configured Respond to alert on entry into a restricted zone during their integration and training session. When the alert was triggered a short time later, command center operators reviewed the event in real time, confirmed the risk and dispatched officers. Responding units apprehended a person of interest who was carrying an ax with the intent of carrying out a violent attack. This is a clear example of how rule-based alerts turn live video into immediate action that protects officers and the community. 

Your policing success isn’t measured solely by number of arrests or closed cases. Agencies are also expected to prevent crime, allocate resources effectively and support broader community goals. Video analytics play a vital role in that mission by transforming video into intelligence that supports data-driven decision-making.

With BriefCam Research, agencies can visualize and analyze patterns over time through interactive dashboards that reveal key insights such as: 

• Crime hotspots identified by vehicle and pedestrian activity
• Traffic flow and congestion trends that inform road safety initiatives
• Occupancy and crowd dynamics during large events or protests 

This information enables agencies to anticipate issues rather than simply react to them, and to coordinate responses more effectively. For example, if analytics reveal repeated burglaries concentrated in certain areas at night, department leadership can proactively deploy patrols or community programs in those areas. If traffic data shows recurring congestion near schools, departments can collaborate with city planners to improve crosswalk placement and adjust signal timing to protect students. And when agencies share these visual insights across task forces, municipalities and federal partners, they can align strategies, reduce duplication of efforts and drive coordinated, evidence-based responses.

The Research module can also extend value beyond daily operations. Video intelligence strengthens budget planning and helps agencies secure funding by demonstrating measurable return on investment (ROI). For instance, in the United States, agencies applying for COPS grants and other public safety funding can use analytics data to show how technology investments improve solvability rates, shorten response times and enhance community safety. 

One agency already seeing this impact is Cumbria Police in the United Kingdom. After implementing BriefCam analytics as part of its county-wide video modernization effort, the department found that the system paid for itself within two months through time saved on video review. Additionally, in one kidnapping case, investigators analyzed approximately 1,200 hours of footage in under an hour, identified the vehicle and driver and ensured the victim’s safety. These outcomes illustrate how measurable video analytics ROI supports continued technology investment and stronger public safety results. 

Listen to this testimonial from Cumbria Police on how BriefCam delivers quick, measurable results. 

While every agency can benefit from video analytics, each one has different resources, priorities and operational demands. BriefCam’s platform architecture is designed to scale to your needs, whether you’re supporting a single site or coordinating analysis across a wider region.

BriefCam offers two main deployment options to fit your operational needs and IT environment: 

• Standalone Architecture – Ideal for smaller agencies or investigative units that need an independent system for reviewing evidence, managing alerts and generating reports.
• Multi-site Architecture – Enables large or distributed agencies to manage analytics across multiple locations while maintaining centralized control and consistent performance.

Both configurations deliver secure, scalable analytics that can grow with your needs — whether you’re expanding camera coverage, adding users or integrating with your existing video management software. 

BriefCam’s platform is available in four editions — Protect, Insights, Investigator and Rapid Review — each tailored to different analytical and operational needs.

For most law enforcement agencies, Investigator offers the ideal balance of power and simplicity. It enables detectives and analysts to import video directly from evidence management systems, conduct rapid searches using the full Review module and securely share findings with other units or task forces. 

Protect is the second most popular option among law enforcement users and is especially relevant for departments operating real-time crime centers or large-scale command environments. It supports multiple users across Review, Respond and Research modules, allowing agencies to manage investigations, real-time alerts and long-term analytics within one unified platform. 

Whether your department operates a few cameras or a city-wide network, BriefCam’s architecture and editions make it easy to adopt analytics at your own pace as your needs evolve.

Video analytics are no longer optional for law enforcement. This mission-critical technology serves as a true force multiplier, helping agencies do more with the resources they already have.  

Whether your priority is accelerating investigations, improving real-time responses or gaining insights that guide long-term strategy, BriefCam gives your agency the tools to make data-driven decisions that strengthen safety and build community trust. 

Contact us today to learn how BriefCam video analytics can help your agency maximize its video technology investments.