College student invents fast-acting body cam tech for Lakeland police

The Lakeland Police Department recently rolled out a new weapon technology thanks to the engineering department at Florida Polytechnic University.

Matthew DeCicco, a mechanical engineering student who has since graduated and taken a job at AEVEX Aerospace in Tampa, worked with Mike Kalman, Florida Poly fabrication specialist, to create a bracket that mounts to an officer’s holster. The moment a weapon is drawn from the holster, an Axon sensor automatically activates the body camera, according to a statement. 

Additionally, the sensor can communicate with cameras in the police car and alert other officers in the area that someone has drawn their weapon.

According to co-inventor Kalman in the statement, the police department reached out to the university for the project because the mounters and holsters that currently existed couldn’t accommodate the advanced technology the officers had, and the system was challenging to use. 

"We wanted something that works with our existing system that can trigger the Axon body camera any time a taser is turned on," says Lakeland Police Captain Ron Bowling Jr. in the statement. "They did just an amazing job."

DeCicco and Kalman 3D-printed more than 400 brackets utilizing filament made with strong carbon fiber. Florida Poly is now seeking a patent on the device.