Current Status: Principal of Video Security Consultants

Why He’s On the List:

• Responsible for helping the CCTV industry move beyond novelty status and overcome “Big Brother” concerns to become a highly respected, vibrant industry
• More than 25 years as one of the industry’s foremost training consultants with manufacturer clients that include Panasonic, Sony, Chugai Boyeki America, Fiber Options and Vicon
• Currently conducts regular training sessions for Pelco, the Department of Justice and many other major organizations nationwide
• Has written a multitude of articles on CCTV applications and advancing equipment technology, including Security Sales & Integration‘s famous “D.U.M.I.E.S.” series

Something People Might Not Know: He loves to cook. In fact, whenever he has a free Saturday, he attends cooking class. He is now working on dry rubs and sauces and says he enjoys making different dishes and seeing the reactions from his guests.

Most Memorable Moment: “I remember in late 1977, I was working on a project that incorporated one the first remote head CCD cameras to be used in many new applications. To help promote this new technology, I presented a lecture on electronic photography to a class at a university in Pennsylvania. After the lecture, most of the students approached me with this statement: ‘It will never work!’ I sure wish I had a list of the attendees because I would like to ask them what they think about this technology now.”

What the Future Holds: “I believe the days of CCTV are over. The new phase of video over IP will take its place. Today’s systems are no longer just for surveillance, and the need to move and store vast quantities of video information is a must. The integration between producing a quality image, transmitting and storing it is on a fast track. With it, however, many new problem areas and challenges are becoming evident. The marriage of IT and CCTV personnel is a MUST. It will require many steps and procedures not only in system design but also in education to ensure a successful marriage. In my opinion, the next few years of this union will be a rocky period.”

Reaction to Being Inducted: “I feel honored to be part of the SSI Hall of Fame. I pledge to continue doing my part in the advancement of the security industry – the industry that has offered me many opportunities and challenges during the past 33 years.”

Career Highlights:

• Born outside Allentown, Pa.
• Became interested in electronics at 11 years of age
• Earned associate degree in electronics/computer electronics from community college run by Penn State
• Spent six years in the U.S. Navy where he increased his electronics training
• Spent eight years as an applications/marketing engineer with RCA’s CCTV Division in Lancaster, Pa.
• Responsibilities at RCA included design, set-up and evaluation of numerous security systems, including many black-and-white tube-type video cameras
• In 1981, established his own company called Video Security Consultants
• Spent next 25 years building reputation of one of the industry’s leading experts on CCTV technology

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