East Haven company that serves public safety agencies acquires new business line

An East Haven company that provides software used by law enforcement and emergency services agencies has acquired a Massachusetts-based firm that provides a secure online platform for sharing images and videos of missing or wanted individuals.

Terms of the deal between Connecticut-based NexGen Public Safety Solutions and BOLO Mobile were not released. BOLO Mobile’s system, used by about 25 police agencies in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, allows law enforcement officials to more easily share photos and videos.

“It renders obsolete the time-consuming, multistep process of getting a photo or video and distributing it to police agencies,” Sal Annunziato, chief executive officer of NextGen, said in a statement. “With BOLO Mobile, officers just snap a photo or record video with their cell phones, hit a button and every member of his or her department or beyond has it. BOLO Mobile means quicker location of missing persons, faster apprehension of suspects and increased safety — officers get instant bad guy alerts.”

Richard Stanley, a former police chief in two suburbs north of Boston, said he and his partners decided to sell BOLO Mobile and step away from the business because they have full-time jobs and lacked the time to take it to the next level. The software emerged from discussions between a police officer and a computer professional about how to better distribute images and video to officers, Stanley said.

“It was the perfect fit for NexGen,” he said.

Methuen, Mass., Police Chief Joseph Solomon said his department has used BOLO Mobile for about three years.

“It’s a great tool for officers,” Solomon said in a statement. “Something that was labor intensive becomes instantaneous. Something that took an hour is literally a matter of minutes. I wish we had it 10 years ago.”

NexGen has 28 employees and serves public safety agencies in 155 of Connecticut’s 169 communities. Its biggest clients are the Connecticut State Police and the police departments in Bridgeport, Waterbury and Norwalk. Its software, among other things, allows police officers, firefighters and emergency personnel to share critical information.

NextGen also provides software and services to five Massachusetts police departments.

luther.turmelle@hearstmediact.com