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Samsung\u2019s advertising for its Galaxy Z Flip series typically revolves around Gen Z photo shoots<\/a> and showing off specific features like interpreter mode<\/a>. But today, the company has taken quite a turn by highlighting the foldable phone\u2019s use as… a policing tool. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n In a post on Samsung\u2019s newsroom<\/a> titled \u201cSamsung Technology Is Helping Police Authorities Protect the Public\u2019s Safety,\u201d we learn that two police departments in Missouri participated in a pilot program that led them to integrate the Z Flip into their daily operations. \u201cThis included their use as a body-worn camera to promote transparency, marking the first time that police have used a foldable device in this way,\u201d the article says. Eventually, two other departments joined in. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n There are some differences between consumer Z Flip devices and those that the police have been using. Samsung worked with Visual Labs, \u201ca leading body camera solution provider,\u201d to customize the phones for law enforcement. This included \u201cremapping the external volume button to start the body camera recordings in urgent situations.\u201d Recordings can also be set to automatically begin when the phone detects a pursuit or, if used with a dashcam, whenever a vehicle\u2019s emergency lights are activated. Video footage can immediately be uploaded to the cloud using Visual Labs\u2019 software.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Here are other direct quotes from Samsung\u2019s blog post:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n You don\u2019t often see smartphone makers hyping their products for this purpose.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Samsung says \u201cthe solutions are now being extended to 25 metro police departments across five states, furthering Samsung\u2019s commitment to bringing tools that can boost success for even more police authorities in the US.\u201d As for Visual Labs, it\u2019s got a partnership with T-Mobile<\/a> for providing Android smartphone bodycams to law enforcement.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Axon dominates the body-worn camera market in the United States, followed by Motorola and other companies. The cameras have been positioned as an important tool for accountability and transparency, though as ProPublica <\/em>and The New York Times<\/em> reported last year<\/a>, that promise is often undermined by local policies that can slow or outright prevent the release of footage.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n