City of Opelousas Police Department cuts vehicle costs by 40% with Verizon Connect Reveal

City of Opelousas Police Department cuts vehicle costs by 40% with Verizon Connect 

In the pre-dawn darkness of rural Louisiana, an officer speeds through unfamiliar back roads, chasing a suspect. The pursuit ends in a serious crash as the police vehicle is totaled. In the past, getting to the bottom of what happened would have meant relying on memory and assumptions about what went wrong. Now, Assistant Chief Mark Guidry can simply press play on crystal-clear video footage showing every moment of the pursuit.

"It's an invaluable tool," said Guidry of watching the young officer review their own performance on screen. "Having the ability to let them watch the video—it's an amazing tool as far as being able to teach."

Guidry has spent 35 years at the City of Opelousas Police Department in Louisiana's Zydeco capital, a close-knit community of about 15,500 people where he's lived his entire life. Over his 35-year career, he's held various positions including patrol supervisor, leading special operations, SWAT commander, firearms instructor and currently IT administrator, witnessing firsthand how modern policing demands have evolved.

"Credibility doesn't really carry its weight as it did when I started my career," he explained. "One of the best ways to work around that challenge today is to play the video."

Lack of evidence creates safety and liability concerns

The City of Opelousas Police Department faced mounting challenges that threatened both officer safety and community trust. Without visual documentation, supervisors couldn't effectively train officers or address citizen complaints about driving behavior.

"We were getting calls saying, 'Hey, you got a guy out there. I don't know what he's doing. I know he's not in his jurisdiction,'" Guidry recalled, describing complaints about officer driving habits that the department received about twice a week.

More critically, when serious incidents occurred, the department had no objective way to determine what actually happened. A significant liability exposure emerged when one of their units was involved in a serious car accident.

"You had both our officer and the other person involved indicating that, 'No, I had the green light,'" Guidry explained. "If you don't have any facts, sometimes it's real hard to determine without a doubt that your person was right, or your person was wrong."

Emergency response coordination also suffered. Officers would become lost in unfamiliar territory during pursuits in rural areas surrounding the city. "We have some rural areas that if you haven't been out there, you wouldn't ever find them," he noted. Dispatchers struggled to coordinate backup when officers couldn't communicate their locations.

The department had tried various tracking systems over the years, but none provided the reliability and comprehensive coverage they needed. "Those systems couldn't give us consistent information," Guidry observed.

Verizon Connect transforms police department operations

Determined to find a reliable solution, the City of Opelousas Police Department chose Verizon Connect, a comprehensive fleet management solution that combines artificial intelligence (AI) dash cameras with near real-time GPS tracking. The system provides forward- and rear-facing HD cameras that capture road incidents and in-cabin behavior, while cloud-based storage enables easy retrieval for training and court proceedings.

Unlike expensive police-specific platforms, Verizon Connect delivered essential law enforcement capabilities at an affordable price. "The cost-effectiveness of the product was probably the biggest driving force," Guidry said.

Guidry found the implementation process efficient. "From the time we set up the first appointment to install units, it probably didn't take three weeks," he recalled. Professional installation teams deployed cameras across 28 vehicles.

The user-friendly platform seamlessly integrated with existing dispatch operations. "Once the officers got logged into the system, they picked up on it rather quickly," Guidry observed, noting the absence of typical resistance to new technology.

Near real-time video enhances safety and accountability

Verizon Connect swiftly enabled concrete improvements across multiple areas of police operations. Video footage transformed how the department approaches training and incident review. "The video is the most important thing for us," he emphasized. "We can sit our officers down and run a detailed report for their driving habits for the entire week."

For example, Guidry used the footage as a powerful teaching tool in the pursuit crash described earlier. "The quality of the video is amazing," he said. "It can reinforce to the officers that it's very important to make an informed decision if you're going to continue in a pursuit."

Citizen complaints about officer driving significantly dropped, too. "That knocked our citizen complaints about officers' driving habits completely down to an almost non-existent level," Guidry reported. When complaints do arise, supervisors can quickly verify facts and immediately address issues.

Emergency response capabilities substantially improved through near real-time location tracking. Dispatchers can now guide backup officers to exact locations, even in unfamiliar rural areas.

The department also saw vehicle-related expenses drop by approximately 40%—a reduction Guidry believes stems partly from improved officer driving behavior resulting from continuous monitoring.

"Video evidence is fully admissible in court proceedings, providing crucial support for prosecutions. “As far as us getting something admitted in the courtroom, you just have to connect the dots as far as where did this video come from? It came from an onboard camera device that's in our police unit,” Guidry explained. The video provides unshakeable documentation while protecting officers against false accusations.

Success creates a foundation for future safety improvements

With Verizon Connect delivering proven results, the City of Opelousas Police Department is looking toward future technological advancements. Guidry hopes such improvements might include enhanced video storage and integration with other evidence management systems.

The partnership with Verizon continues to strengthen across multiple business areas. The department relies on Verizon Wireless for cellular connectivity and Verizon Connect for fleet management telematics. "It's one of the best partnerships I've been involved in," he said. "Verizon is a vendor that truly meets all your needs and treats you as though you're the only customer they have."

For Guidry, Verizon Connect represents more than technological innovation—it's about protecting his officers and the close-knit community he calls home. Where once a serious crash meant uncertainty and assumptions, supervisors can now press play and turn every incident into a learning opportunity that keeps officers and the community they serve safer.