NoPanopticon

Fusus was founded in 2018 and quickly became one of the most widely deployed real-time crime center (RTCC) platforms in the US. Its core offering is a map-based interface that lets police monitor dozens of surveillance data streams simultaneously. Axon acquired Fusus in 2023, connecting it directly to Axon's body camera footage, Evidence.com cloud platform, and dispatch tools—creating an end-to-end surveillance and policing system under one vendor.

Fusus deploys small hardware devices called "COMMs" that connect existing cameras—city-owned, school, transit, or private business cameras—to the Fusus cloud platform. Once connected, live feeds appear in the police RTCC dashboard. Participating private camera owners (businesses, homeowners) can opt in voluntarily or be enrolled through city programs, giving police live access to thousands of non-police cameras without individual warrants.

The platform integrates with third-party systems including ALPR (Flock, Vigilant, Genetec), gunshot detection (ShotSpotter), and facial recognition, so a plate hit or gunshot alert can automatically pull up nearby camera feeds and tag related footage for review.

Fusus blurs the line between public infrastructure and private surveillance networks by pulling consumer and commercial cameras into a police monitoring hub. Participating camera owners often don't understand the extent of access they've granted or how footage is retained and shared. Privacy policies for private participants are typically set by the police agency, not the camera owner.

Because Fusus now sits inside Axon's product ecosystem, footage from an officer's body camera, a private doorbell camera, and a city ALPR reader can all flow into the same platform and be cross-referenced—a level of data fusion that was previously only available to federal intelligence agencies.

Data collected through Fusus deployments can be shared with state and federal fusion centers, undercutting local sanctuary and privacy policies. The platform has been deployed in cities across the US with minimal public input or oversight.

• Fusus COMM device – small hardware gateway installed at a camera location that streams video to the Fusus cloud; compatible with most IP camera brands
• Fusus cloud platform – web-based RTCC dashboard with live map, camera grid, and alert feed; integrates alerts from ALPR, gunshot detection, and other sensors
• Axon Evidence.com integration – footage and incident data flows into the broader Axon evidence and records ecosystem post-acquisition
• Third-party integrations – Flock Safety ALPR, ShotSpotter, Vigilant/LEARN, Genetec, and others can pipe alerts into the Fusus map view