Integration Keeps Trains on Track
In an era when the threat of terrorism places a premium on securing America’s mass transit but funding waylays progress, Charlotte’s new light rail line launches on the right course. Find out why its sophisticated integrated solution is a model for which other transit agencies to aspire.
There were at least two significant factors playing in Dougherty’s favor. The first of which was his systems integrator. When Dougherty moved from the Midwest to the South, he brought his relationship with SimplexGrinnell with him.
SimplexGrinnell is one of the industry’s largest systems integrators. Merged together by Tyco Int’l in 2001, Simplex and Grinnell have histories that date back to the 19th century. Today, the company’s 10,000 employees provide security, fire and communications systems and services for more than 1.3 million customers worldwide.
The other ace in Dougherty’s pocket was that Charlotte had already established itself as a progressive advocate of municipal video surveillance and its police department had a dedicated regiment of 12 Transit Police officers in force. Augmented by CATS inspectors and contracted police personnel, the Charlotte-Mecklenburg (county) Police unit is responsible for preventing crime, trespassing and fare evasion.
“The city of Charlotte has always been in tune with the benefits of camera systems and has had several systems used by the police department,” says Dougherty. “In transit, we wanted to buy into that to collaborate and work together. We wanted an integrateable system that we could share with other public safety personnel to enhance overall effectiveness, to give us more eyes on the community, which I think is great.”
Seamless Solution Sought
Dougherty and his integrator spent substantial time and effort evaluating all the possible offerings on the market to meet the aforementioned objectives of ease of use and seamless integration, as well as a high degree of scalability and future proofing, given the project’s extensive scope and duration.
“I wanted an access control system with graphics so I could see the point of an alarm, be it security alarm, fire alarm, smoke detector, pull station. I knew what I liked from past experience and where we wanted to go,” says Dougherty. “I looked for something I could build on to take us into the future to 30 years and beyond, where we don’t have to do a whole system replacement.”
The rigorous evaluation period included case study simulations to gauge how different technology platforms meshed with CATS’ operations, as well as using checklists to determine what would be the best option given available resources. Finally, after six months of trials, Dougherty had his answer.
“We chose Andover Controls’ Continuum security system and SimplexGrinnell’s own fire system,” he says. “Andover Controls can serve as a total management system if the various modules are purchased together. Everything has to be programmed in each device, but that allows us to have all those readers, etc. It allows the diffe
rent devices to integrate with our platform. That’s what led us to choose that system.”
According to SimplexGrinnell’s Clark, other equipment incorporated into designing Blue Line’s access control system included around 2,000 HID iClass card readers to go along with magnetic locks, door strikes and electric locksets. Four workstations are integrated with SimplexGrinnell’s 4100U fire alarm system across CATS’ citywide network. Intrusion detection is integrated through the access system’s door contacts. The entire length of the rail line is dotted with 60 Code Blue and Gaitronics emergency call stations.
The video surveillance system features nearly 250 Pelco fixed and pan/tilt/zoom (p/t/z) cameras strategically placed at all the platforms, parking structures and CATS facilities and offices. They are continuously recorded by more than 20 Pelco DVRs. In addition, 160 Safety Vision cameras were installed in the rail vehicles themselves and feed images to a Safety Vision mobile DVR on each car.
“We have two cameras on every platform throughout the system,” says Dougherty. “We have cameras in every park-and-ride lot. We use a combination of fixed cameras and p/t/z cameras to get us the widest coverage that we can get.”
CATS security personnel monitor the systems 24/7 at the Rail Operations Control Center via more than a dozen large-screen video monitors mounted on the wall. An intercom system permits operator intervention, if deemed necessary. Workstations are also equipped with specialized computers displaying advanced graphical user interfaces.
“My graphics view is my footprint of the facility,” says Dougherty. “I can see when/what door is opened or closed, or even bring up a picture of the person who went out that door. I can have alarms set to where it alerts a police officer’s cell phone and notifies the dispatch.”
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About the Author
Scott Goldfine
Scott Goldfine is the marketing director for Elite Interactive Solutions. He is the former editor-in-chief and associate publisher of Security Sales & Integration. He can be reached at [email protected].
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