Sarah Andrews had little design experience when she started taking a manufacturing class at Gwinnett County’s Maxwell High School of Technology last fall.
By the next semester, local police officers were using a body camera mount she helped create.
The equipment sits atop the tactical helmets that officers in a joint special response team wear. The team consists of police from the Duluth, Lilburn and Suwanee departments who are called in to serve high-risk warrants and for other situations.
Officers recently visited Maxwell to commend Andrews and others who worked on the project. They also showed footage captured by cameras held in place by the mounts the students created.
“I was proud to work with my community to solve a real-world problem,” Andrews said, adding that she’s thought of getting a patent on the design. “It’s exciting that our work paid off.”
Steve Schaefer
Steve Schaefer
The tactical helmets contain all sorts of gear — radio equipment, a flashlight and a camera about the size and shape of a pill bottle. In the fall, the team received hearing protection that attached to the sides of the helmet. But that didn’t leave enough space to mount the camera.
Cody Belcher, an investigator with the Lilburn Police Department, turned to Facebook to see if anyone had ideas for putting the camera on the top of the helmet.
That led him back to Maxwell, where he once took auto shop classes.
Belcher connected with Brandon Myers, a manufacturing instructor at the school. Once Belcher visited Maxwell’s workshop and spoke with Myers’ students, he was certain he found the right people for the job.
Plus, the equipment in the workshop far exceeded expectation. “They didn’t have all of this when I was here,” Belcher said, looking around at the 3D printers and machinery around the room.
Andrews and one of her classmates met with Belcher throughout last semester, 3D printing nearly 20 prototypes until they got to the version that officers use today.
The camera is essential to police transparency and accountability, Belcher said. The cameras record police actions so investigators can see if officers acted appropriately and followed procedure. The cameras also can help with confirming or disproving accusations of mistreatment, Belcher said.
Myers’ class is project based, and students design and create items that different community groups have requested. The chance to work with police officers was special, he said.
The students are “applying what they learned to a project with real stakes. That’s huge,” Myers said.
Steve Schaefer
Steve Schaefer
Students at any Gwinnett high school can apply to attend Maxwell, where they spend part of the day to take specialized technology classes. Myers’ goal is for students to learn various aspects of manufacturing, discover what they enjoy and gain skills that help them gain employment after high school.
Andrews said the class has confirmed that she’s “a designer at heart,” but she’s glad she learned the manufacturing process.
Andrews plans to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering and a career in aerospace. While some of her peers with similar interests chose to take additional Advanced Placement classes, she feels Maxwell has given her a leg up.
Designing a project in a computer program is one thing — making the design a reality is another.
“We really are doing it here,” she said.
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