Page 22 - Security Today, September 2019

area, thereby increasing their resilience. While road markings might not be at the top of anyone’s to-do list following a natural disaster, the Japanese government and other organizations were able to determine the best course of action required to address very real but not obvious problems through advanced
communication and preparation.
In many cities, however, and for a vari-
ety of reasons, we see stakeholders who are not collaborating with one another. Busi- ness leaders, city planners, municipal infra- structure leaders, fire departments and law enforcement can end up working in silos, ultimately leading to breakdowns in com- munication, missed opportunities and lapses in city security. This is felt most acutely dur- ing an emergency when silos turn into blind spots and a lack of cooperation creates op- portunities for criminal activity, making a city and its people more vulnerable.
Bring Stakeholders Together
Fortunately, we have also seen that when we break down these silos and share informa- tion, great things can happen. As we have seen in Detroit, a city can lower its crime rate by connecting HD video from gas stations and convenience stores with law enforce- ment. This seemingly straightforward move has the added benefit of improving public safety while helping local businesses thrive. As a result, a resilient city that embraces these new technologies can yield stronger and safer communities where citizens want to reside and do business.
Our task is to establish strong founda- tions that support and maintain the efficient flow of people, assets and ideas in our cities. These foundations must allow our city and community stakeholders to communicate effectively both now and in the future. Be- cause, when given the opportunity to share technology, resources and information, cities can significantly improve the way they meet challenges and solve problems—making an ordinary ‘every day’ possible via extraordi- nary technologies and collaboration.
The Role of Technology
Advances in IP technology have brought us better video surveillance, access control, automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) and powerful analytics. These elements can work together to deliver physical security that helps cities to protect urban areas.
Today’s technology can provide security professionals and law enforcement with great- er situational awareness. When it comes to en- suring public safety and maintaining a secure environment, having a complete picture can make all the difference. Cities need a solution
that can allow public organizations to work closely with law enforcement to develop an emergency response plan where video surveil- lance streams, and other data from IP sen- sors can be correlated, analyzed and shared quickly with relevant parties.
Comprehensive unified security solu- tions offer cities the tools they can use to improve overall public safety. If they choose a provider that offers the latest in technol- ogy, this solution will make the city both safe and smart. A comprehensive security platform that combines video surveillance, access control, ALPR, communications, in- trusion and analytics enables cities to work smarter by providing that emergency pre- paredness, enhanced situational awareness and improved operational efficiency that is so desperately needed.
Specifically, these unified systems can deliver the capacity to improve traffic and mobility operations. Traffic systems com- bined with video surveillance and incident response solutions can help law enforcement identify incidents, communicate detours and coordinate responses faster resulting in smoother traffic flow and happier citizens.
Improved technology in physical security systems can also provide the opportunity for collaborative investigation management, a boon to law enforcement. By using a safe city-focused security platform, police offi- cers, investigators and security managers can gather and have access to digital evidence from a variety of sources and easily store, manage, review and share it from within a single application.
A smart security solution that breaks down walls and freely shares information (only with those approved to have such ac- cess, of course) provides comprehensive re- sponse coordination that can literally save lives. An effective public safety strategy re- quires more collaboration and connectivity between agencies, cities and the private sec- tor. Using physical security components that include video surveillance, ALPR and access control gathering and consolidating data from a multitude of sensors can provide a dynamic—and unified—view to dispatchers and emergency responders so they can make insight-driven decisions during a mission.
In order to ensure that growing cities can safely and securely accommodate the increas- ing number of residents seen in urban areas across the globe, it’s essential for community stakeholders—government, law enforcement, business—to leverage advances in physical security systems. Physical security systems that include video surveillance, access control, ALPR, intrusion and analytics can produce a powerful solution that can enhance emergen- cy preparedness, increase situational aware- ness and boost operational efficiency. The key is collaboration and balance. Increasing communication and sharing data across the private and public sectors
can improve security for
everyone.
Bob Carter is the business development manager for Smarter and Safer Cities at Genetec Inc.
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