Are you evaluating the purchase of Digital Recorders or perhaps writing a staff report for your department? Please let us tell you the top reasons why law enforcement agencies have made PUMA II Police Special Digital Recorders their #1 choice when purchasing a Digital Recorder.
PUMA II Digital Recorders are encased in Metal. This provides the durability needed for a law enforcement recorder. Consumer grade recorders are often made entirely of plastic that does not hold up well for police use. PUMA II recorders have a less than 1% return rate due to physical damage.
PUMA II Digital Recorders use custom fit, Recessed Navigation Controls. Recessed Controls prevent accidental or unwanted pressing of the control buttons. Consumer grade models have raised buttons that are often accidentally hit by an officer when using the recorder in a top pocket or in a holster. This can cause unwanted playback while in the field, accidental erasing a file or the recording to be stopped.
PUMA II Digital Recorders are encased in Metal. This provides the durability needed for a law enforcement recorder. Consumer grade recorders are often made entirely of plastic that does not hold up well for police use. PUMA II recorders have a less than 1% return rate due to physical damage.
PUMA II Digital Recorders use custom fit, Recessed Navigation Controls. Recessed Controls prevent accidental or unwanted pressing of the control buttons. Consumer grade models have raised buttons that are often accidentally hit by an officer when using the recorder in a top pocket or in a holster. This can cause unwanted playback while in the field, accidental erasing a file or the recording to be stopped.
PUMA II Digital Recorders are the only recorders that offer a custom fit, Leather or Nylon, Kydex Holster. The PUMA-II Holster is designed exclusively for the PUMA-II recorder. The only buttons exposed when used with our holster are the Record and Stop buttons. Often times, officers that use consumer grade models use ammunition holsters for their recorders. This leads to the officer having to remove the unit from the holster every time they need to make a recording. Ultimately, this creates a system that is more difficult to use and results in officers using their recorders less frequently. This scenario has played out with many agencies. The PUMA Holster has also been designed to allow an officer to view his Record Indicator light while keeping it hidden from any possible suspect, interviewee or contact.
PUMA II Digital Recorders are compatible with the Remote Start/Stop Switch. The Remote Start/Stop Switch allows the officer to position the recorder’s controls anywhere on their uniform. Not all consumer grade models have the necessary components within the microphone jack to be compatible with the Remote Start/Stop Switch.
PUMA II Digital Recorders are packaged with a Lapel Microphone. Lapel Microphones are instrumental in Law Enforcement recording to help officers create clear and clean recordings. This device is commonly used by agencies that have used Digital Recorders in the past. Each PUMA II Recorder is packaged with a Lapel Microphone at no extra cost.
PUMA II Software offers a Noise Cancellation feature. The Noise Cancellation feature can reduce background noise, while maintaining the integrity of the original recording. Most consumer grade models do not offer Noise Cancellation.
PUMA II Digital Recorders offer One Button Recording. Officers can easily activate the PUMA II Recorders without losing focus of the situation at hand. Consumer grade models often require a three step process for activating a recording. This can cause serious problems for an officer in the field. For example, an officer might forget to select the 'New' button. When the officer hits record again, the recording will continue where it left off. This will result in one large audio file for the officer’s entire day. The PUMA II Recorder starts a new recording each time the officer pushes Record, making an individual file for each contact, interview, report, etc.
PUMA II Digital Recorders offer the Largest Record Button.
PUMA II Recorders have the largest Record Button of any recorder its size. Consumer grade recorders often have small Record Buttons or Record Buttons that are located in hard-to-reach positions. This causes problems for an officer who is trying to activate the recorder on the fly or in high stress situations.
PUMA II Digital Audio Files CAN NOT be modified. PUMA II Recorders have no editing modes such as append, overwrite or insert in order to protect the integrity of the original recording. Several consumer grade models allow the ability to Over Record, Insert, or Append an audio file. Having these options will allow the recording to be contested in court. A PUMA II recording was contested in court. The department proved that the recordings could not be modified within the PUMA II Recorder. This led to an admissible recording and ultimately a conviction for the prosecution.
PUMA II Digital Recorders utilize an industry standard USB cable. This standard download cable can be used for multiple devices.
PUMA II Digital Recorders record in a .WMA format. WMA format is an industry standard and can be used with Voice Stress Analysis Software, played on any Windows media player, or copied to CD/DVD and played for court purposes. The size of a .WMA file is 1/8 the size of a .WAV file allowing for greater storage on PC’s or network servers. Consumer grade recorders record in various formats and often need to be converted prior to distribution.
PUMA II Digital Recorders have modified Firmware for easier use in Law Enforcement. PUMA II Recorders have been modified to eliminate unnecessary recorder options. PUMA II Recorders have eliminated the audible folder that on most consumer grade models still exists. The audible folder can create problems for an officer out in the field who is using the recorder for public contact recording. If an officer accidentally selects this folder, they would not be able to record audio, ultimately leading to missed recordings.
PUMA II Digital Recorders allow the insertion of an Officer ID, Name, or Badge Number. When added to a PUMA II Digital Record, an officer ID, Name or Badge Number is then transferred to the file name to quickly identify whose recording it is. Some consumer grade models do not allow adding any type of officer identifier.
PUMA II Digital Recorders utilize an industry standard USB cable. This standard download cable can be used for multiple devices.
PUMA II Digital Recorders record in a .WMA format. WMA format is an industry standard and can be used with Voice Stress Analysis Software, played on any Windows media player, or copied to CD/DVD and played for court purposes. The size of a .WMA file is 1/8 the size of a .WAV file allowing for greater storage on PC’s or network servers. Consumer grade recorders record in various formats and often need to be converted prior to distribution.
PUMA II Digital Recorders have modified Firmware for easier use in Law Enforcement. PUMA II Recorders have been modified to eliminate unnecessary recorder options. PUMA II Recorders have eliminated the audible folder that on most consumer grade models still exists. The audible folder can create problems for an officer out in the field who is using the recorder for public contact recording. If an officer accidentally selects this folder, they would not be able to record audio, ultimately leading to missed recordings.
PUMA II Digital Recorders allow the insertion of an Officer ID, Name, or Badge Number. When added to a PUMA II Digital Record, an officer ID, Name or Badge Number is then transferred to the file name to quickly identify whose recording it is. Some consumer grade models do not allow adding any type of officer identifier.
PUMA is used in more Law Enforcement Agencies than any other consumer grade model. VIP has a long list of customers ranging from users who have just recently purchased PUMA to departments who implemented PUMA's 8 years ago. PUMA continues to prove itself, agency by agency and officer by officer.
Please refer to our PUMA User List for a current list of departments.
