"If any police department is looking for a one-stop shop for a real-time crime center," said Sergeant Glenn Vandegrift of the Bensalem Township Police Department, "Fusus is the one."

Technology has become the great unifier in modern public safety, bringing disparate teams, tools, and information into a single, accessible framework. That vision is now a reality in police departments like Bensalem Township in Pennsylvania and St. Johns County in Florida, and city departments like one in the Columbus, Ohio, area.

At the center of this transformation is Axon Fusus—a cloud-based Real-Time Crime Center (RTCC) platform that integrates various data points to provide faster, better intelligence and support real-time decision-making. It brings together video and data feeds from multiple sources—like cameras, sensors, and even community-contributed footage—onto a single screen, accessible from the command center or through a mobile app in the field. With features like a community camera registry and customizable sharing permissions, Axon Fusus also helps agencies strengthen collaboration with local residents and businesses.

We recently chatted with Sergeant Glenn Vandegrift at the Bensalem Township Police Department, Sergeant Kyle Cubbedge of St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office, and Lieutenant Tanner Williams from the Whitehall Police Department. They shared how Axon Fusus is enhancing efficiency, transparency, and safety in real time, offering powerful testaments to the impact of this technology across diverse operational environments.

Bringing clarity to critical moments with connected cameras

One of the most transformative elements of Axon Fusus is the ability to access real-time video feeds from a centralized platform. For each of the three departments, the shift has been night and day.

"We used to have a few intersection cameras that detectives or dispatchers could access, but it was clunky and time-consuming," said Sgt. Vandegrift. "Now, every officer has access to live camera feeds from their laptops and phones. That was a game-changer."

Lt. Williams echoed this sentiment, highlighting the immediate advantage of visual confirmation. "You know, the way this has really changed is when we have a Fusus camera in the area, being able to get actual eyes on and not having to take a caller's word for what's happening," he explained, emphasizing the increased accuracy and safety this provides for both officers and the public.

Sgt. Cubbedge added, "The biggest thing is just being able to get all of our video feeds under one pane of glass. Before, it was a spreadsheet of passwords and bookmarks to different camera platforms. Now it's a one-stop shop."

That consolidation has boosted efficiency and safety. In such jurisdictions, officers can now respond to incidents with live video intel from traffic, business, fixed and body-worn cameras, improving situational awareness before they even arrive on the scene.

"It's officer safety. It's also the safety of our community," added Vandegrift. "And it helps us avoid arresting or detaining the wrong people. We can get the right people because we can actually see them commit the crime or flee from the scene."

ALPRs in action

Axon Fusus has also given these departments a powerful boost in tracking and apprehending suspects through Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) integration. When a Real Time Crime Center platform like Axon Fusus offers agencies the one-two punch of license plate and video data, the impact is palpable.

"We can track a vehicle from the moment it leaves a crime scene through our township using cameras in Fusus," said Sgt. Vandegrift. "When it hits a license plate reader, we can look up the owner of the car, investigate and we can make arrests."

For the Bensalem Township Police Department, this kind of tracking has made a measurable difference in solving crimes that previously would have gone cold. "Statistically speaking, our arrests and closure of crimes have gone up because of Fusus," Sgt. Vandegrift said.

Lt. Williams illustrated how the ALPR integration aids in suspect apprehension, especially when working in tandem with real-time video. "We get a license plate reader alert on a stolen car,” he explained. “And then we're using Fusus to track where that car is in the city until we can get some plain [unmarked] cars in the area.”

Though St. Johns County is still expanding its ALPR capabilities, the potential for Sgt. Cubbedges’s department is clear.

"We're seeing how valuable it is to integrate the traffic cameras with the license plate readers," he said. "The real-time view that we get from the cameras, whether they're traffic or business, is helping us every day."

A platform for public-private collaboration

All three agencies emphasized the role Axon Fusus plays in deepening partnerships with businesses and other community stakeholders.

"We have a bunch of businesses that are very police friendly, and we have access through the Fusus CORE to all those businesses," said Sgt. Vandegrift. "It actually helps them... it kind of gets the word out for them that, ‘Hey, cops have access to the cameras there, don't go there to commit your crimes.’"

Sgt. Cubbedge agreed, noting how the technology has strengthened relationships with businesses. "They know that [we can support them and gain stronger intelligence via their cameras], and we can utilize those if something happens at their business," he said.

Lt. Williams highlighted the tangible benefits of such collaborations, explaining how Axon Fusus saves everyone time while making policing more successful. "A lot of businesses only have one or two managers who have access to the cameras, and they don't work every day of the week,” he said. “So not having to call them and have them come in to to help us get the video is huge for them. A lot of times we can get a suspect’s vehicle information or physical description and make the arrest that day rather than three days later."

These integrations have not only improved response times but created a new kind of deterrence. "When they give us access to cameras, we have the ability to not only view but record some of their illicit activities, and we can remove them from the facilities," said Sgt. Vandegrift. "So the businesses don't continue to have more problems in those locations."

Real-time, real results

The impact of Axon Fusus is tangible. In Bensalem Township, a recent attempted theft at a motorcycle dealership was stopped mid-crime. "We were able to watch them in real time, track them, and officers arrested four juveniles trying to steal quads," said Sgt. Vandegrift.

In St. Johns County, Florida, Fusus has become a staple in managing incidents on the interstate. "Almost every mile marker about has a traffic camera," said Sgt. Cubbedge. "If there's an accident, we can already get eyes on that accident before we even get there and let the paramedics know, for instance, 'Hey, it looks like there's multiple vehicles or just one vehicle. It looks like there's entrapment.' That's huge for us."

Lt. Williams explained how Axon Fusus brings the field perspective right to his desk in real time in Central Ohio. “I can see where officers are, what they're doing,” he said. “If they're on a call that's near a Fusus camera, I can pull it up and be another set of eyes.”

Feedback from officers and analysts has been overwhelmingly positive in all three agencies. "They’re using it every day," said Sgt. Vandegrift. "From pulling up crash footage, to inviting 911 callers to share live video through Fusus, it’s changing the game."

Excited for an increasingly safer future ahead

This trio of departments see Axon Fusus as a platform built for long-term success.

"We are excited because we know about the additional pieces that Axon will be adding onto this platform in the future," said Sgt. Vandegrift. "We expect Axon is going to take this platform and build it to something 10 times better than it is today. So we're all with Fusus."

Sgt. Cubbedge echoed that view. "We're excited to see where the future takes us with Axon," he said.

This vision of emerging capabilities is amplified by the growing network of Axon Fusus users, where the aggregation of data and shared intelligence promises even greater impact. “The more agencies that get on board with this program and being able to share information with them,” Lt. Williams said, “just imagine how much more [crime] we could solve than what we're doing right now.”

Ultimately, each public safety leader agrees that Axon Fusus is more than just a cloud-based solution—it's a strategy. As agencies continue evolving to meet the challenges of modern public safety, tools like Axon Fusus will be at the center of smarter, faster, safer communities.

"If any police department is looking for a one-stop shop for a real-time crime center," said Sgt. Vandegrift, "Fusus is the one."