As security systems integrators explore emerging markets that offer significant potential for growth, few areas offer as much promise as the burgeoning municipal security space. The use of CCTV as a law enforcement tool has dramatically increased in the past 10 years, especially in Europe and Latin America. Currently, the United Kingdom has more video surveillance systems per capita than any other country in the world and more than 89 cities in Latin America use citywide surveillance.
Traditionally, municipalities in the United States have been more reluctant to deploy video surveillance solutions for public safety monitoring. However, recent spikes in drug trafficking and violent crime in certain cities have prompted police departments, community associations and local business districts to explore the deployment of surveillance technologies to reduce crime, increase property values and bring customers back into their businesses.
In fact, 36 cities in the U.S. have installed public safety networks, with most being used for CCTV, and more than 149 cities across America have plans to install public safety networks in the next five years.
There are many factors driving the proliferation of video surveillance technologies for municipal security applications in the U.S. Some are obvious, including crime prevention and emergency preparedness, while others are not so easy to see, including the rapid build-out of municipal wireless IP networks that serve as a backbone for video surveillance applications.
Municipal Security Solutions Must Conquer 3 Challenges
There are three key challenges integrators need to be aware of as they begin to explore the municipal security space. The first is the difficulty presented by the geographically dispersed, widespread nature of municipal security environments.
Municipal security solutions must cover multiple square blocks, sometimes even square miles, and must be able to work around obstacles including buildings, bridges and a variety of structures. They must also be unobtrusive in order to avoid widespread resistance from the community. Cameras must be placed in remote, hard-to-reach locations such as atop traffic signals, light posts or building rooftops. The distributed nature of these systems often makes wiring and installation a significant challenge.
Another challenge is the integration of a municipal security solution with a variety of standalone security, business and information systems that are often already in place in major cities. In order to be an effective threat prevention and emergency response tool, a municipal video solution must bring all of these disparate systems together to provide actionable intelligence — a unified view of security information, delivered to the appropriate people in order for a timely and effective response.
Disparate camera views, limited video distribution and isolated alarms do not present an accurate and comprehensive view of events as they happen, providing little value to first responders and law enforcement agencies.
Finally, a municipal security solution must meet the challenge of providing flexible 24/7 access to information for a variety of purposes. Video intelligence data is often shared among law enforcement, government and private organizations that are responsible for securing the infrastructure and facilities across the city. Video data must, therefore, be easily and securely distributed to multiple locations simultaneously.
In the event that a security incident does occur, investigative agencies must have immediate access to live and stored video data to determine what is happening, how to appropriately respond to emergency situations and to help prevent future incidents.
Network Video Distribution Is a Pillar of System Design
A municipal surveillance solution designed to protect the people, property and assets in an urban environment can play an integral role in the revitalization and well-being of a city, its citizens and its economy. To derive maximum return on investment (ROI), a municipal security solution should contain certain important features, including network-intelligent video distribution, resilient system design, industry-leading wireless technology and an open, IT-friendly architecture.
These features will help law enforcement personnel secure diverse urban environments ranging from city blocks and parks to monuments and parking structures. A comprehensive networked video solution transforms video into value, delivering actionable intelligence for deterring crime and promoting a safe environment for people and commerce.
Authorities Need to Identify Risks Before They Escalate
Modern, networked video solutions provide an excellent platform for the deployment of sophisticated analytics technologies in municipal security settings that can automatically identify suspicious or criminal behaviors before they escalate. Once detected, these security breaches trigger alerts and deliver the most critical and timely information to law enforcement personnel so immediate action can be taken.
Video analytics technologies can reduce the number of resources required to monitor and patrol urban environments while promoting strict adherence to local laws and community charters. In order to reap the maximum benefit from video analytics, municipal surveillance solutions should include a flexible rules engine that allows law enforcement to define sensitive areas and determine what objects or movements constitute an illegal or undesirable behavior.
Powerful video analytics, combined with a sophisticated rules engine, are capable of differentiating between people and inanimate objects, and initiating actions based on appropriate parameters of movement within locations that have been identified as high risk. In addition, analytics facilitate the establishment of virtual perimeters around street corners, city blocks or back alleys that are known for criminal activity.
Virtual perimeters are a series of tripwires or boundaries that users define, using a point-and-click interface, within various camera views. When a virtual boundary is crossed, an alert is generated and distributed according the rules defined by security personnel.