Page 146 - Security Today, July/August 2018

VIDEO SURVEILLANCE
in its earlier iterations, and when integrated properly with video surveillance systems and mobile map technology, it can be an incredi- bly useful tool for law enforcement entering a potentially deadly situation and for those who need the earliest possible warning.
“If you talk to students and really listen to the stories that come out of the shootings,” Fisher said. “So many times the kids say, ‘We thought it was something else; we didn’t realize it was a gun.’ Until they realize the gunfire is right next to them, they don’t know what is happening.”
As soon as the gunshot is detected, that’s an early warning for the teachers and students to get out of the hallways and into a classroom or an area where they can lock the door.
Another related technology that must integrate with an overall security system is automatic lock down. As soon as the school realizes there is the potential for an event, it must have the ability to lock down as many doors as possible while still providing the ability to see inside the school so the responding officers have a better idea the threat and giving staff and law enforcement awareness into the situation.
FACILITATE SITUATIONAL AWARENESS
Fisher says most schools use their video sur- veillance systems primarily for investigation purposes after the fact, but to truly save lives, schools must be able to offer useful live video feeds to law enforcement. This requires inte- gration with gunshot detection systems that can pinpoint the spot where a shot was fired and highlight the live feed from nearby cam- eras. A simple interface must give an officer, who may not be trained in such a system, the ability to know where the camera is located and the direction it is pointed so that he or she has the situational awareness necessary to find and neutralize the threat as quickly and safely as possible.
This situational awareness is closely tied in with a campus security system’s integration with other technologies. To help organizations better capitalize on this technology, Salient’s platform is offering the ability to implement maps into a mobile device, Fisher says.
“So now with a handheld device, mobile phone or a tablet, approaching law enforce- ment, if given that access, can look at a map that will show the direction the camera is pointed and its physical location on the map of the facility,” Fisher said. “If the video sur- veillance system is tied to the gunshot detec- tion system, it would trigger the camera to change colors indicating this is the general direction the shot came from. With a camera that is physically located in the area, instant
video will show exactly what’s happening in the camera view area.”
GET THE EXPERTS’ INPUT
For educational institutions, finances are probably the biggest barrier to getting the most effective system. Those making the deci- sions must not only spend the allotted money wisely, but they must spend it on proven tech- nology. Schools can’t afford to spend it on a new technology that makes huge promises but fails to deliver.
One way Fisher says educational organiza- tions can ensure they are good financial fidu- ciaries is to cultivate partnerships with local, state and even federal law enforcement agen- cies. “A security consultant addressing a school board doesn’t have as much weight as your local FBI saying it,” Fisher said.
Local businesses often partner with law enforcement and the FBI who will come in and do an evaluation of the facility.
“They come into ports, airports, critical infrastructure on a daily basis and provide a threat assessment. It would be valuable for school districts to go to local or state level and even a federal level law enforcement agency and ask for an evaluation of their campus,” Fisher said. “Those evaluations would provide a high level of assurances for a school board when they propose a bond request.”
CULTIVATE MEANINGFUL
PARTNERSHIPS
Institutions must partner with the right com-
panies to truly get the most out of their secu- rity solutions and integrations.
“The industry started with proprietary technologies in everything they did,” Fisher said. “And then it moved to an open architec- ture approach. Security industry manufactur- ers are now moving back to a proprietary for- mat, meaning that companies have decided they want to be the jack-of-all-trades and the master of none. They offer access control, cameras, VMS, analytics—they try to wrap it all up and say they can do it all.”
Fisher says it is the companies that contin- ue in an open architecture approach that have the ability to really hone in on the best-of- breed technologies and provide the flexibility to adopt and deploy the best available compo- nents of a total solution.
“We are committed to helping you design the best video security solution for your needs,” Fisher said. “And we will integrate with companies that offer products that meet those needs.”
Integration between systems can be one of the most important features for day-to-day users of the security system. If multiple secu- rity technologies are in place, integration of those technologies should be a goal for most organizations’ security
programs in order to maxi-
mize benefits from each
system.
Mary Wilbur is the Vice President, Marketing at Salient Systems.
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