Safariland Issues Statement Regarding VIEVU Contract with New York Police Department

ONTARIO, Calif., Oct. 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Safariland Group, a leading global provider of safety and survivability products designed for the public safety, military, professional and outdoor markets and the parent company of VIEVU^®, issued the following statement after a hearing held today by the New York City Mayor's Office of Contract Services:

VIEVU was pleased to testify before the Mayor's Office of Contract Services today. As we discussed in the hearing, the New York Police Department (NYPD) has been conducting an exhaustive request for proposal (RFP) process for a Body Camera System that has lasted almost two years. VIEVU participated in this process and provided a comprehensive proposal that met every technical requirement outlined by the NYPD at a competitive price. We are pleased to have been selected as the vendor to the NYPD, and we are proud to be able to offer best-in-class technology at prices that are attractive to the taxpayers of the City of New York.

When the NYPD announced that it had selected VIEVU from more than 50 competitors, one of its chief competitors, Taser International — which has seen its stock price decline more than 20% since this news became public — mobilized a high-priced lobbying campaign to undermine the agreement.  On October 3, 2016, Taser made a last-ditch offer outside the rules and regulations of the City's procurement laws and the scope of the RFP to supply the City of New York with 1,000 cameras "free of charge." If the NYPD had wanted vendors to supply 1,000 free cameras or any other provisions, the NYPD would have spelled out that requirement in the RFP. VIEVU followed the exacting provisions of the RFP process, and was explicitly selected as the winner fair and square. Taser's offer, coming after our contract win, is a desperate attempt to circumvent the process designed to ensure fair treatment of all vendors.

The Safariland Group is a diversified provider of safety and survivability products with revenues in excess of $450 million. We are proud of our relationship with the NYPD, including supplying explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) bomb suits, a recent award of $7.5 million of active shooter kits as well as a recent award to provide the NYPD with 26,000 holsters. Our mission statement is Together, We Save Lives. VIEVU, our body worn camera business, is an important part of that mission, and we look forward to working with the NYPD on this important program.

About The Safariland Group

The Safariland Group is a leading global provider of a broad range of safety and survivability products designed for the public safety, military, professional and outdoor markets. The Safariland Group offers a number of recognized brand names in these markets including Safariland®, Med-Eng®, ABA®, Second Chance®, VIEVU®, Mustang Survival®, Bianchi®, Break Free®, Protech® Tactical, Defense Technology®, Hatch®, Monadnock®, Identicator® and NIK®. The Safariland Group's mission, "Together, We Save Lives", is inherent in the lifesaving and protective products it delivers. The Safariland Group is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. The Safariland Group is a trade name of Safariland, LLC.

About Vievu

VIEVU^® is a leading provider of body worn and video technologies, providing secure, high-quality video cameras for law enforcement, security, emergency medical services and retailers. VIEVU Solution, the company's next generation fully-hosted cloud evidence management system, is built on Microsoft^® Azure Government Cloud, the first enterprise cloud to directly support the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Services Division. VIEVU is also the only provider of body worn cameras with Automated Video Redaction technology, a highly advanced redaction tool built to automatically blur faces and objects recorded on body worn cameras, without user involvement, in order to protect the privacy and identity of victims, innocent bystanders, minors and undercover police officers. Built on police experience, VIEVU technology is used by thousands of law enforcement agencies in 17 countries. VIEVU received the highest score in an evaluation of body worn video by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. For information please visit www.vievu.com.

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SOURCE The Safariland Group