Nov 20, 2015

Video surveillance has a long history that originates as far back as the late 19th century with the invention of the earliest movie cameras. As video technology continued to advance, it eventually found its footing for public use.

This trend began in the 1960s, as video surveillance was adopted by law enforcement in certain public spaces, according to Business 2 Community contributor Rick Delgado. This application for video technology never fizzled. Surveillance solutions are still in widespread use across the world as a way to help deter crime and aid investigators in their pursuit of criminals.

The case of New Rochelle

There is no shortage of examples for how video surveillance has served society, particularly in regard to its efficacy as a crime-fighting tool. This fact has not been lost on public officials, such as Police Commissioner Patrick Carroll of New Rochelle, New York. The historic city of approximately 78,000 residents has been rated one of the safest in the U.S. by multiple publications. Still, crime fighting is an ever-evolving effort, and Carroll was dedicated to making sure that the city was keeping pace with the never-ending endeavor.

In 2013, New Rochelle deployed 25 video cameras in 18 public locations throughout the city in an effort to improve security for residents. By 2015, the number of cameras nearly doubled to include 45 feeds in 21 locations. The cameras were manufactured by Axis and connected via wireless mesh technology from Firetide,HotPort 7000. These cameras were scattered throughout the city, mostly on electrical poles but also on the rooftops of large buildings. Video feeds were monitored in real time by police officers and subsequently stored for 25 to 30 days after being taken.

Benefits of wireless surveillance

New Rochelle law enforcement officials said the solution helped them in several situations by allowing them to spot crime as it was occurring, thereby expediting response efforts. In the wake of such success, city law enforcement plans to use Firetide Mobility Controllers as a way to stream feeds directly into patrol cars, which would allow officers to more adequately assess a situation prior to responding.

As the example of New Rochelle highlights, wireless video surveillance can help city law enforcement maintain a bird's eye view of a fairly spread out jurisdiction. However, the benefits of wireless video surveillance extend to a variety of other use cases.

Constructions sites, for example, can save time on deployments by using wireless surveillance in order to be in compliance with OSHA. Visits from prominent public figures to highly populated urban settings may require an extra layer of security; wireless surveillance can provide temporary, yet thorough security monitoring. Likewise, public transportation hubs, large airports and sprawling corporate parks can all benefit from deploying wireless surveillance.

Furthermore, with mesh topology, the surveillance networks are self-healing. In the event of an unforeseen outage, network traffic can be rerouted so that the cameras can keep rolling and law enforcement, construction workers, public transit staff and many others can continue to perform their duties with fewer security concerns. 

To learn more about how New Rochelle benefited from wireless video surveillance, read the complete case study.