Security Technology Executive

NOV-DEC 2014

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November/December 2014 • SECURITY TECHNOLOGY EXECUTIVE 21 www.SecurityInfoWatch.com B y Ra n d y Clar ke 40 hours before the digital video recorder would overwrite video; so, if something happened on a Friday evening, we would have to send someone out over the weekend to retrieve the video. It was time-consuming and inconvenient for our team." With consultancy services from Jacobs Engi- neering Group, an international engineering, architecture and construction firm, a detailed request for proposal was submitted for public tender that stipulated specific requirements and the need for a working proof of concept. After careful consideration, MBTA chose the Genetec Omnicast video surveillance system proposed by Minuteman Security Technologies. The Genetec Omnicast system offered by Min- uteman Security Technologies met budgetary and technical specifications — the latter included access to live video from our operations control center (OCC), automatic offloading of video to long-term archiving when buses reached the ter- minals, police officer data access to nearby bus systems via cruiser mobile terminals, and a few other custom applications. Simplified Video Access Provides Clearer Views on Buses To date, the Genetec Omnicast video surveil- lance solution has been installed on 225 buses. Each bus is outfitted with two 360-degree cam- eras — one interior fixed high-definition cam- era and three external 720p high-definition cameras, all from Panasonic. Video is continu- ously recorded and stored on each of the bus's network video recorders (NVR). To support the sophisticated infrastructure of this application, Ethernet switches from Moxa were selected for industrial-grade reliability, network redundancy and seamless integrated security. On the bus, a monitor displays a live camera feed to passen- gers, acting both as a public advisory of video monitoring and as an added deterrent against criminal activities. "Leveraging the security technology to pro- mote an innovative and interactive public advi- sory forum allows us to encourage passengers to report incidents on the bus," explains Adam Peters, Transit Security Projects Administrator at MBTA. "A message displaying, 'See something? Say something' alongside a phone number for the MBTA police, is displayed below the video feeds. Passengers can also use an interactive app from their mobile device to anonymously and discretely report events. This gives our commu- nity a voice and allows them to become actively involved in keeping our city safe." Two depar tments within the MBTA have live access to the system from their own con- trol rooms, including OCC operations and the MBTA police dispatch. MBTA transp or tation exe cutives als o have system access. What makes the installation one of the most unique in the country is the dual-mode radio that allows for simultaneous wireless and Verizon 4G LTE connectivity. This has led to the most notable advantage of the surveillance system for the bus fleet — we have multiple ways in which the video can be easily accessed. For exam- ple, in the event of an incident, dispatchers and analysts can view video from the bus through the cellular Verizon 4G LTE connection, facilitating both real-time emergencies and investigations. "Recently, there was a report of an assault on a bus driver and the dispatcher was able to pull that bus's cameras up and quickly identify the suspect," Deputy Chief Sprague says. "Within minutes, responding officers had a full descrip- tion and were able to apprehend the suspect. Video surveillance onboard our buses has defi- nitely made our jobs easier and has been an invaluable tool to law enforcement." Leveraging the LTE connection is also an invaluable part of the investigative process for customer service agents and operators who need to quickly identify the specific time periods of video for passenger disputes or criminal investi- gations. Instead of guessing or transferring mas- sive amounts of data over the LTE connection, users can simply view video through the LTE con- nection, identify which segments are required and submit the transfer request. The transfer itself is facilitated through a customized video requester tool that has sim- plified the retrieval of video on-board buses for long-term archiving. Once the bus is back at the terminal, the system will automatically offload SECURITY INNOVATION AWARD W I N N E R "Leveraging the security technology to promote an innovative and interactive public advisory forum allows us to encourage passengers to report incidents on the bus." — Adam Peters, Transit Security Projects Administrator at MBTA.

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