Community Surveillance Systems

Keep your city safe with Community Surveillance Systems

With the increase in crime rates throughout the United States, I thought it would be a great time to talk about community surveillance systems. While I realize there needs to be consideration between how much “big brother” is watching and the need for safety, I remember back to my days in community college.

During my first year, I learned about Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs.  Maslow’s theory has five levels, each of which must be met to advance to the next level. The first level is Physiological needs; food, water, sleep, sex, etc. This level is required to sustain life.

Maslow’s second level is safety which includes personal security, emotional security, financial security, and health and well-being.

No person or community can prosper and grow without a sense of safety and security. One way to minimize crime is with a community surveillance system. Some of the benefits of a community surveillance system include:

 

  • Crime deterrence – people don’t tend to commit crimes when they know they’re on camera
  • More crimes solved = less criminals on the streets
  • Improved response time to a crime in progress
  • Lower overall crime rate

 

The key to a successful implementation of a community-wide surveillance system is planning. There are many varieties of cameras each with its own purpose. Placing the correct camera in the precise location will help augment the overall community public police program. Using high quality, reliable cameras is of utmost importance as well. There needs to be an evaluation of whether to use wired or wireless signals, or a combination of each. What is the intent of each camera, vehicle recognition, facial recognition, license plate capture, or general overview?

As a systems integrator that specializes in high quality video and video transmission, we can help design the system, but it also must include people that know the community as a whole and are actively involved in the public safety of its citizens.

Lastly, the right video management software and server with data analytics and advanced search capabilities must be implemented. Current technology allows smart searches to be made which could include looking for a particular color of vehicle, vehicle type, direction of travel, license plate, etc.

For additional information, please call MIS Sales at 815-933-8376 or complete a request at www.midwestintegrated.com.