ROC deploys Vision AI tech for smart city initiative in West Virginia

Colorado’s ROC has announced a new public security deployment in Marion County, West Virginia, marking the launch of its Smart Cities offering to support law enforcement and first responders.

A release says the firm is leveraging its Vision AI product, smart sensors and other edge devices to enable real-time security monitoring that will “enhance public safety, provide critical situational awareness and actionable intelligence, and improve emergency response times” in Marion County.

ROC’s multimodal vehicle recognition, facial recognition, gun detection and other real-time data analysis capabilities will be integrated into existing security infrastructure, including license plate readers and bodycams. Applications include road safety enforcement, accident detection, parking and toll road monitoring, as well as crime prevention and crowd control.

The company’s tech has already been put to use in the county’s public schools, which have implemented ROC’s badgeless visitor management and gun detection tools.

The project is funded through a $1 million earmark from the Department of Justice with congressional support from U.S. Senators Joe Manchin and Shelly Moore Capito. Marion County Sheriff Jimmy Riffle led efforts on the law enforcement end.

“We are beyond thrilled to partner with Marion County and equip their Sheriff’s Department with our cutting-edge Vision AI and video analytics technology,” says Jessica Sell, VP of congressional affairs and community outreach for ROC. “This deployment represents a major milestone in our mission to enhance public safety and community resilience through the transformative power of American innovation in Vision AI.”

The Marion Country partnership represents a convergence of interests for ROC and West Virginia.

Following a rebrand in March, the firm is leaning into its made-in-America identity (and its impressive NIST rankings) as it aims to make further inroads into the U.S. government biometrics market. It recently hired strategist Sam Cava, architect of the U.S. Department of Defenses (DoDs) automated biometric identification system (ABIS) and the FBI’s National Security biometrics systems, to lead the expansion of ROC biometrics deployments at the federal, state and local government levels. Cava is, like ROC CEO Scott Swann, a native of West Virginia.

The state, meanwhile, is actively working to cement its position as a central node in the developing U.S. digital identity ecosystem.

Article Topics

biometric identification  |  biometrics  |  biometrics at the edge  |  facial recognition  |  ROC  |  smart cities  |  video surveillance  |  West Virginia