Jason Browning, a 28-year member of the Folsom Police Department, retired in January and is now the director of transformation and integration for LensLock, a company specializing in public safety software as a service (SaaS). The company’s offerings also include body cameras, vehicle-based and fixed video cameras, and evidence management solutions.“I was drawn to law enforcement through my experiences being raised during the rock cocaine epidemic of the 1980s,” Browning told Industry Insider — California. “Watching from the front lines how drugs ruined good people’s lives from both sides of the pipe, I wanted to make a difference. So I tried to fix people’s problems.”
During almost three decades, Browning worked his way up through the ranks at the Folsom Police Department, from officer to detective to sergeant to lieutenant and, for the last four years, commander. While taking on increasingly responsible roles, he said, he enjoyed “developing my ideas into products that served my agency and my peers.” He called solving people’s problems “a catalyst that would define my career.”
Browning sees his new role with LensLock as an extension of that, serving first responders.
“We are a solutions provider to public and private safety organizations throughout the United States,” he told Industry Insider. “Our mantra that drives our 60-plus employees is We Serve Heroes Every Day, and it’s true. We’ve seen exponential growth over the past two years because, as servant leaders, we do as we say we will do.”
It was through his professional network that Browning connected with LensLock once he had made the decision to retire from the public sector.
“As my 50th birthday approached, I wondered how 28 years of public service translated to the private sector,” Browning said. “A retired chief who was one of my mentors encouraged me to continue my public service through a public safety SaaS vendor, LensLock. I enjoyed consulting very much, but … I was not accustomed to being ‘half in.’ I wanted to be all in.”
LensLock CEO Jon Handy “observed something in me,” said Browning, citing his 28 years of frontline leadership, police officers’ standards and training, extensive executive leadership training, and the value of lifelong learning. In addition to numerous professional credentials and affiliations, Browning has a Master of Science degree in law enforcement and public safety leadership from the University of San Diego, and a Master of Science in leadership from the FBI National Academy at the University of Virginia.
“I have been fortunate throughout my career to have been surrounded by excellent people,” Browning said, “and LensLock is no exception.”
The former Californian has relocated to the Dallas-Fort Worth area, where LensLock has offices in Richardson. The Poway-based company also has a presence in Tampa, Fla.
