Motorola Solutions (NYSE: MSI) today announced  that it has signed a framework agreement with the Thuringian Ministry of the Interior to supply more than 1,200 VB400 body cameras to the police forces in Thuringia. The new devices will be used by police forces across the state to help front-line teams de-escalate potentially dangerous situations, support accountability and increase officer and public safety.

Thuringia's Minister of the Interior, Georg Maier, handed over the first cameras to police officers from the Erfurt State Police Inspectorate at the start of the formal roll out this week.

"These body cameras won't make the work of our police force any easier, but they will make it safer," said Maier. "Not only do body cameras deter dangerous behavior, but video evidence helps to provide officials and communities with a more complete understanding of events."

The cameras will be rolled out alongside VideoManager evidence management software, enabling officers to easily upload and securely store and manage video footage, organised by time, date and location as part of the force's existing daily workflows.

The ministry of Thuringia awarded the contract to Motorola Solutions following a rigorous testing and competitive process to comply with high quality and regulatory requirements. The decision for the VB400 was based on performance, voice quality and the ability to customize pre- and post-recording functionality to help ensure incidents are captured from the start.

“Our customers' experience shows that body cameras are a proven tool to improve front-line and community safety, while also serving as a valuable source of evidence in criminal cases,” said Axel Kukuk, MSSSI vice president of Western Europe, Motorola Solutions. "Motorola Solutions has become a global leader in video solutions bringing together body cameras, in-vehicle video solutions, fixed cameras and related analytics software to help customers understand, analyse and respond more effectively to safety and security events."

Motorola Solutions has been a trusted partner of public safety organizations in Germany for over 50 years. The police forces in Thuringia are now joining other police forces in the deployment of body cameras, including law enforcement agencies in the German federal states of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Saxony-Anhalt. Motorola Solutions body cameras and video solutions are also widely used by public safety organisations across Europe, including the U.K., France, Malta, Romania, Lithuania, Austria and many other countries.