Page 72 - Security Today, April 2017

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Situational Awareness
As a result of tying video from surveillance systems installed in its public schools into the police department’s integration center, a major city in the Southeast United States has significantly increased safety and securi- ty at those schools. Made possible by VMS, these integrated systems provide the school system and police department with the ben- efit of an effective, efficient and cost-effec- tive IP video system that provides police with real-time access to video feeds from more than 150 of the city’s public schools. These feeds can provide valuable situational awareness that allows police, fire and other emergency staff to better assess, prepare, re- spond and communicate prior to arriving at the scene of an incident.
Much of this process is automated thanks to the VMS solution, which gener- ates an alert when a predetermined event triggers an alarm at one of the schools where video has been integrated. Officers in the central command center can access vid- eo from the school to view live and recorded video from cameras in the zone where the alarm was triggered. This allows them to assess the situation and determine what, if any, response may be needed. In an emer- gency, dispatchers can use video to continu- ally deliver up-to-the-moment updates to first responders. This not only improves the effectiveness of the response but also en- sures the safety of both first responders and those who are inside the school. The added ability to push live video to the department’s mobile command vehicle allows those in the field to control cameras to provide an even more powerful tool for mitigating situations as quickly as possible.
The challenges municipalities face in de- ploying widespread video surveillance solu- tions can be daunting, but they are hardly insurmountable thanks to the advanced capabilities of today’s leading-edge VMS solutions. By harnessing the power and func- tionality of these leading-edge solutions, municipalities can ensure the highest level of safety and security for the people, locations and assets located within their geographical area. The ability of these VMS solutions to ex- pand the functionality of surveillance beyond security delivers even greater value, which is an especially attractive proposition that can allow video surveillance
systems to be more eas- ily justified within mu- nicipalities’ traditionally tight budgets.
Ken LaMarca is the vice president of sales and marketing at OnSSI.
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