The Mexico City Police Department will deploy Xerafy Pico and XS Dot on-metal RFID tags for a weapons tracking application that will improve the security and accountability of its armories.
Xerafy partner Ofi Equipos PC in Mexico is spearheading the project. The RFID solution was adopted in an effort to address an ongoing problem with the loss of police department weapons.
The Mexico City Police Department employs more than 34,000 officers, as well as 40,000 auxiliary police and 15,000 banking police officers. They are tasked with protecting the city’s nearly 20 million residents in the city with the highest crime rate in Mexico.
Like other major metropolitan police departments, the Mexico City Police Department manages a large inventory of different types of weapons. Effectively tracking and securing these weapons is critical for public safety, as well as better managing the efficiency and cost of maintaining the weapons.
RFID technology can provide real-time visibility into which weapons have been removed from the armory, and who took them. All police badges and weapons will be tagged and tracked so that as weapons are checked out of the local armory, the RFID tags can be associated with the officer. By matching weapons and badges, the department hopes to create greater accountability. In addition, the department will be able to quickly take inventory in its armories.
In Phase One of the project, the department ordered 154,000 Xerafy Pico and Dot XS tags for tracking weapons and badges. Phase Two will involve the deployment of the RFID reader infrastructure.
An RFID solution for weapons tracking has to be able to withstand rough handling, shock/vibration, and remain readable for the life of the weapon. Xerafy has provided tags for this application that could be permanently mounted on metal, and that were also resistant to high temperatures, humidity, chemicals, and magnetic interference.
The Xerafy Pico and Dot XS tags were designed to provide reliable and accurate reads on metal objects and in harsh environments. The Dot XS tag has a small footprint and can be easily concealed or embedded on small weapons. The Pico has an excellent performance-to-size ratio, and can also be easily attached to a weapon without impeding its use.
“Xerafy was able to meet the performance expected to deliver the visibility we need to monitor high-value assets such as weapons. Our technology helps companies and governments transform the way they operate, giving them an edge that translates into cost reductions and improved safety,” said Dennis Khoo, CEO, and Co-Founder of Xerafy.
Five other major municipalities in Mexico have also committed to using the same solution once the deployment in Mexico City is complete.
Xerafy is a pioneer in Industrial RFID, bringing to market several innovations that enable advanced industrial identification and automation capabilities.
In addition to a complete range of field-proven RFID tags available off-the-shelf, Xerafy offers Custom RFID Tags services, covering everything from a personalization service bureau to custom-design engineering capabilities.
