One of the capital’s most prolific M&A dealmakers is at it again.
Public safety software provider Versaterm announced Thursday it has acquired Visual Labs, a California-based company whose technology transforms android phones into body cameras with real-time video and audio-streaming capabilities.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
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Versaterm president and CEO Warren Loomis said Visual Labs’ products are “cost-effective” replacements for stand-alone body cameras, digital cameras and audio recorders used by first responders in the field.
The company also makes smartphone-based dash cameras and interview room cameras that allow supervisors and dispatchers in command centres to remotely access field officers’ live video feeds and GPS locations. All data is automatically uploaded to the cloud moments after it is recorded.
In a news release, Visual Labs said the software “makes it easy to redact the recordings, blur faces or objects, or mute audio before requested footage is released into the public record. Simultaneous playback of multiple recordings and advanced location-based analytics, including heatmaps of officer coverage, provide an accurate account of events for investigators or detectives when reviewing or presenting case evidence.”
In a statement, Loomis said Visual Labs’ software “adds a whole new element to our product ecosystem.”
Founded in 2014, Visual Labs has nine employees listed on its LinkedIn profile. Its customers include law enforcement agencies, private security companies and industrial clients in the United States, Canada and other countries.
The deal marks Versaterm’s eighth acquisition since 2020 as it continues to expand its service offerings in the growing emergency management software space.
The Ottawa-based firm, which supplies dispatch software and records management services to first responders throughout Canada and the U.S., was founded in 1977 by a group of former RCMP employees who helped build the Canadian Police Information Centre, the national police database.
Originally family-owned, Versaterm was acquired by San Francisco’s Banneker Partners in December 2020.
Loomis told Techopia in 2021 the firm’s revenues have been growing at an annual rate of more than 30 per cent. He said Versaterm planned to boost its local headcount from 100 at the end of that year to at least 150 over the next few years as it continues to pursue additional M&A opportunities.
“The investment community out there is really behind us,” he said. “They’re loving public safety.”
