Page 46 - Security Today, May 2018

Smart City
integrate with a wide range of software that could provide additional layers to surveillance operations.
License plate recognition (LPR) is one example of how this has been implemented. The city of Culiacan has more than 800 specialty cameras connected to its LPR system, made by Spain’s Neural Labs. License plates captured by these cameras are matched against a data- base within the Neural Labs software. If a suspicious vehicle is iden- tified, corresponding video from surveillance cameras can be im- mediately called up and shared with law enforcement officers within the vicinity. In addition, the LPR video is stored within the Valerus system, where it can be archived alongside surveillance video for evi- dence when building a criminal case.
Integrations with other applications are also in the works. The use of facial recognition technology is high on the city’s priority list, as are sound sensor systems that can geo-locate the source of gun shots, and more widespread use of panic buttons throughout the commu- nity that can automate emergency response procedures and summon assistance from law enforcement.
Command and Control
As the capital of Sinaloa, Culiacan’s control center serves as a central- ized coordination hub for security and life safety operations at the city, municipal and state levels. Capt. Victor Cisneros, director of C4 Command and Control Center, is head of this new, state-of-the-art facility, which features separate spaces for the various departments, each of which function autonomously.
Expansive video walls, recording servers and monitoring stations provide operators with access to all cameras within their respective domains. However, when necessary, the thin client makes it possible to share video across departments, facilitating more collaborative and successful response efforts.
For example, operators within the city’s equivalent of a 911 call center, although a separate division from the city police, can re- quest access to cameras located within the vicinity of an emergen- cy call, so as to share video with ambulance teams and other first re- sponders being sent to the scene.
Next Steps
With about 1,800 cameras currently in place throughout Cu- liacan, combining surveillance and LPR systems, the city is well on its way to its vision of approximately 4,800 total cameras. In addi- tion, work has begun in Mazatlan and Los Mochis, two other cities in Sinaloa, which will ultimately be part of the statewide network.
“This is a very ambitious project for us,” Galvez said. “We hope to use every function of our new system to help lower the crime rate and better protect the citizens of Sinaloa. We understand that video isn’t the only way we will achieve this, but it’s a very important part and can help us bring other systems together to be more effective. We’re excited about the possibilities.”
Margie Gurwin is a freelance writer for the security industry and principal of Content Creation Partners, LLC.
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