Municipal Security News

Columbus, Ohio, integrates access control city-wide

Posted on: December 16th, 2011 by Joel Griffin

Implementing municipal security systems in any U.S. city can be a big challenge. Different agencies tend to utilize different technologies and have a different set of policies and procedures as it relates to how these systems are used. This is especially common with city-wide surveillance systems, as integrators and city leaders often have to get all of the agencies involved to “buy-in” to having a centralized network.

One city breaking out of the constraints of this traditional mold is Columbus, Ohio. The city recently undertook a project that will unify access control for all city buildings into one, centralized IP-based network using the Matrix Systems’ Frontier software platform.

The project – which is being overseen by a group of city officials including Miki Calero, chief security officer; Michael Plumb, security manager for facilities; Dave Bush, deputy director; and, Johnny Scales, facilities administrator – began with the founding of a $500,000 command center and the integration of access control at the city’s municipal court buildings. According to a statement issued by Matrix Systems, plans are underway to integrate the city’s public utilities facilities into the system next.

Integrating access control at city facilities is also cost-efficient as buildings that have 16 or fewer card readers can be connected to the system using a Matrix Systems Gateway rather than having to add a server and access control panel, the company said.

Most city department heads and facility managers have also been offered building connectivity, according to the company, which has resulted in many other city service buildings being added to the network including parks and recreation, health, building development, public services, and fleet maintenance.

“We’ve had a growing reception to our offer of leveraging equipment, infrastructure and other security resources,” Calero said.

In addition to integrating access control, the city has used the new command center to tie more than 200 surveillance cameras together. The city’s surveillance system includes cameras from Bosch and Axis, as well as video storage solutions from Pivot3. The surveillance cameras and video management system are also integrated with the Frontier software.

“Some cities have public safety departments monitoring neighborhood cameras, but few have it all culminate in a centralized command center like Columbus,” said Plumb.

Columbus is also in the process of integrating an EasyLobby visitor management system with its access control platform.

“The possibility of connecting any building to our command center via the existing infrastructure and monitoring it for security are capabilities few cities the size of Columbus have at their fingertips,” said Calero.

 

 

LAPD deploys surveillance cameras

Posted on: November 7th, 2011 by Joel Griffin

Broadband and video surveillance solutions provider Wi4Net, a division of CelPlan Technologies, announced Monday that it has completed the installation of the first series of wireless camera systems for the Los Angeles Police Department.

According to a statement, this initial deployment will help the Mission, Foothill and Southwest area police stations monitor gang activity and other crimes. In addition, Wi4Net said the city’s Wireless Camera Surveillance System (WCSS) program will also enable other area stations to deploy compatible surveillance systems in the future.

Capt. Bill Scott, commanding officer of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Mission Area, said that the cameras have already aided in solving several crimes.

“The cost of crime and the cost of preventing crime is very expensive and the potential impact of crime deterrence that we expect to realize with continued successes from the use of our surveillance cameras are particularly important during these tough economic times,” Scott said.

CelPlan CEO Leonhard Korowajczuk said that the next deployments are scheduled for the Topanga and West Valley area stations.

“We are honored to be in the position to support the City of Los Angeles in this important program,” Korowajczuk said. “Being the second largest city in the country and with the associated policing challenges that are to be expected, I foresee these systems to become a national showcase of the value that citywide surveillance can bring as a public safety tool.”

For more information about Wi4Net, visit www.wi4net.com.

Urban Institute publishes landmark report on effectiveness of public surveillance

Posted on: September 26th, 2011 by Geoffrey Kohl

The Urban Institute, a research institute focused on public policy and government and initiated by President Johnson, released a report last week evaluating the impact of video surveillance cameras on crime control and crime prevention.

The abstract of the report, titled “Evaluating the Use of Public Surveillance Cameras for Crime Control and Prevention” is as follows:

“This report summarizes the results of an evaluation of public surveillance systems in Baltimore, Chicago, and Washington, D.C., examining how systems in each of these jurisdictions were selected and implemented and assessing the degree to which they achieved their intended crime prevention impact. The study also explored whether surveillance cameras displaced crime or yielded a diffusion of benefits to areas just beyond the cameras reach, and included a cost-benefit analysis component in two of the three study sites. Findings indicate that in places where cameras were sufficiently concentrated and routinely monitored by trained staff, the impact on crime was significant and cost-beneficial, with no evidence of crime displacement.”

The Urban Institute has published the entire research in PDF format, available for download here.

Caribbean city turns to video surveillance to reduce crime

Posted on: August 30th, 2011 by Joel Griffin

Looking to curb graffiti, drug activity and other crimes, the city of Lamentin, located on the French archipelago of Guadeloupe in the Caribbean recently installed a surveillance system from UK-based IndigoVision.

According to a statement, the system, which was deployed with the help of systems integrator Acsyss Antilles, consists of IP pan/tilt/zoom dome cameras, fixed domes and fixed cameras operating on a wireless network.

The company’s standalone network video recorders have also been installed in the city’s municipal police headquarters and can store footage from every camera in the system for a minimum of 30 days.

Officials say the cameras are already having an impact with a significant reduction in violence and graffiti being seen at one of the city’s schools.

Massachusetts sheriff’s office to deploy more than 300 surveillance cameras

Posted on: August 18th, 2011 by Joel Griffin

The Worcester County Sheriff’s Office in Massachusetts recently decided to install a new city-wide surveillance network consisting of over 300 cameras.

To meet the storage demands of this new network, the department is implementing Veracity’s COLDSTORE solution, which will be used to provide over 500 terabytes of storage. Genetec’s Security Center 5.0 VMS platform will be used to manage the system.

"We considered high level appliances, a traditional solution mixing servers, switches and a RAID disk array, and a mixture of appliances and traditional storage," said Michael Temple of the WCSO in a statement. "This being a project in the public sector with a fixed budget we had no allowances for overages which became a factor as we began paring down viable solutions."

The COLDSTORE solution allows the WCSO to reduce power requirements and cooling costs, providing them with thousands of dollars per year in savings. In addition, the storage platform will also allow authorities to remove single disks with the desired footage on them.

"Being able to remove the disk and be able to testify in court or during an inquest that this is the original, watermarked video as recorded is, in my mind, highly valuable for both evidence protection and protecting our agency from litigation," Temple added.
 

Baltimore to expand crime camera program

Posted on: August 10th, 2011 by Joel Griffin

Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake recently announced that the city will be expanding its CitiWatch surveillance camera network with the help of federal and state grants.

The addition of 12 new cameras along Pennsylvania Avenue will bring the total numbers of cameras in the network to 538. Sixty new cameras have been added to the network during the mayor’s first 18 months in office.

"Our CitiWatch program has been instrumental in supporting the work of the men and women of the Baltimore Police Department to reduce violent crime. The cameras are a force-multiplier that enable us to do more to protect the citizens of Baltimore," Rawlings-Blake said in a statement. "I want to thank our state, federal and local partners for their support of this vital crime prevention tool."

In 2010, the CitiWatch camera program assisted in over 1,200 arrests, 125 of which were for violent crimes such as robberies, assaults and illegal gun possession.
 

Dems debt-ceiling bill includes D Block provision

Posted on: July 28th, 2011 by Joel Griffin

According to published reports, Sen. Harry Reid’s (D-Nev.) bill to raise the debt-ceiling includes a provision that would allocate the D Block radio spectrum to public safety agencies.

While creating a public safety communications network for local and state first responders was one of the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, exactly how that network is going to be paid for has been a topic of much debate in Congress.

Bills put forth in the House and Senate earlier this year call for the auction of spectrum space that alarm industry advocates say could have a detrimental impact on companies in the industry.

Reid’s plan reportedly calls for the auction of spectrum space that is currently owned by television broadcasters.

Orange County adding mobile video surveillance to bus fleet

Posted on: July 13th, 2011 by Joel Griffin

IP video solutions provider March Networks has been chosen by California’s Orange County Transportation Authority to equip more than 200 buses with its mobile surveillance solutions and to also provide video system health monitoring services across the authority’s entire 850-bus fleet.

The company received two separate contracts for the project totaling $6.2 million.

According to a statement, each OCTA bus is equipped with a ruggedized Mobile Digital Video Recorder capturing video from up to 10 mobile cameras, as well as synchronized audio from two microphones. In addition, the Mobile Managed Service offering includes a range of service options – from the health monitoring of cameras, MDVRs and other components to system audits and training. It also incorporates ongoing software maintenance and scheduled updates.

“With more than 20,000 mobile systems deployed globally, our solutions continue to deliver the reliability and intelligent video management bus and rail operators need to enhance their surveillance efforts and operate more efficiently,” said Peter Strom, president and CEO of March Networks. “We are proud to work with OCTA and many other large transportation agencies worldwide.”

Duluth, Minn. camera system now operational

Posted on: May 4th, 2011 by Joel Griffin

According to a story published this week by the Duluth News Tribune, a 20-camera surveillance system deployed along the waterfront in Duluth, Minn., is now operational.

Deputy Police Chief Robin Roeser told the paper that the cameras would help deter crime and also provide authorities with information if an incident occurs in the area.

The cost of the cameras and network infrastructure was $575,000, 75 percent of which was paid for by federal grants, the story noted.

Click here to read the full story.

Security cameras to be installed in Oahu, Hawaii

Posted on: March 24th, 2011 by Joel Griffin

According to a story published this week by the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, surveillance cameras are going to be installed on the island of Oahu in Hawaii.

The cameras will reportedly be placed in strategic areas in Ewa, Waipahu, and Kalihi/Palama/Chinatown.

The system is being paid for by a grant from Target’s Safe City Project, according to the story.

Click here to read the full story.