NCJ Number
199064
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 70 Issue: 2 Dated: February 2003 Pages: 17-19,21
Date Published
February 2003
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article discusses a two-way live video surveillance application designed to provide critical situational awareness data used by police officers in California.
Abstract
The benefits of using two-way video are that it enhances officer and citizen safety and improves resource management through properly scaled responses. The IP (Internet Protocol) video surveillance system is effective for situational awareness where officers have minimal or no information and the situation is high risk. Situational awareness is also valuable for more common occurrences because it allows public safety agencies to plan appropriate scaled responses. For actual incidents in progress, officers can use on-dash video cameras to send live video from the vehicle to the dispatcher and other officers in their vehicles. This allows them to share critical information to help them coordinate an effective and safer response. Community participants, such as hospitals, schools, and industry, share video of their own security systems at designated hot spots with police on an ad hoc basis. When an alarm is triggered, dispatchers can access the video feeds and advise the responding units. Officers can review the video feeds from a linked mobile data computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), or laptop computer in the vehicle. This system is effective, uses off-the-shelf components, and is inexpensive and quick to design and deploy when compared to proprietary solutions. There is also a rapid deployment of a nonproprietary video surveillance application that leverages IP, the standard for Internet communications, and several layers of security. The Cisco 3200 mobile access router can endure extremes of temperature and humidity, with a rugged design to withstand the bumps and jolts of the road. Besides video surveillance, other applications can be delivered to an IP network inside a patrol car. These applications include email and transmitting files directly to the department database, saving trips into the station for routine administrative work. Officers can dispatch, transmit, or receive a mug shot or fingerprint to ensure proper identification of a John Doe.