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Tucson, AZ:Security cameras coming downtown?

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City leaders will start the year discussing downtown security, which may include surveillance cameras. Target Corp.'s Safe City program to fund 14 video cameras for downtown was first brought to the Police Department in 2006. Media reports a year later claimed the $100,000 Target offer was killed, but City Manager Mike Hein and

Target officials deny that. "That's an urban legend," Hein said. "I have not formulated a recommendation. It's nonsense to think that this (overall downtown security program) is a train that is not coming."

Nevertheless, the Dec. 14-15 overnight graffiti assault on Fourth Avenue businesses refreshed a question: Should downtown have police video surveillance? Two days later, City Councilwoman Nina Trasoff sent an e-mail asking Hein to hasten delivery of a security proposal for downtown.

Tucson was among the first five cities mentioned for Safe City funding. "Target does remain committed to a partnership of making Tucson safer," Target spokesman Mike Krueger said. "It's the partnership we're interested in. We're open to what local law enforcement and community leaders think is the best solution. Cameras are not essential in a Safe City program."

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China Finds Eager Allies for Olympic Security

BEIJING — In preparation for the Beijing Olympics and a series of other international events, some American companies are helping the Chinese government design and install one of the most comprehensive high-tech public surveillance systems in the world.

When told of the companies’ transactions, critics of China’s human rights record said the work violated the spirit of a sanctions law Congress passed after the Tiananmen Square killings.

The Commerce Department, however, says the sophisticated systems being installed, by companies like Honeywell, General Electric, United Technologies and I.B.M., do not run afoul of the ban on providing China with “crime control or detection instruments or equipment.” But the department has just opened a 45-day review of its policies on the sale of crime-control gear to China.

With athletes and spectators coming from around the world, every Olympic host nation works to build the best security system it can. In an era of heightened terrorism concerns, it could be argued, high-tech surveillance will be an indispensable part of China’s security preparations for the Olympics, which runs Aug. 8 to 24. And given China’s enormous economic potential, corporations are always eager to get a foothold here; the Olympics provides a prime opportunity.

But China’s regime, the most authoritarian to hold an Olympics since the Soviet Union’s in 1980, also presents particular challenges. Long after the visitors leave, security industry experts say, the surveillance equipment that Western companies leave behind will provide the authorities here with new tools to track not only criminals, but dissidents too.

“I don’t know of an intelligence-gathering operation in the world that, when given a new toy, doesn’t use it,” said Steve Vickers, a former head of criminal intelligence for the Hong Kong police who now leads a consulting firm.

Indeed, the autumn issue of the magazine of China’s public security ministry prominently listed places of religious worship and Internet cafes as locations to install new cameras.

A Commerce Department official who insisted on anonymity said that the agency was reviewing its entire list of banned exports, including military equipment, although the sale of crime control gear to China is on a special, fast-track review. Asked whether equipment identified as commercial by Western manufacturers could have crime control applications, the official replied, “There may be users in China who figure out law enforcement uses for it.”

Multinationals are reluctant to discuss their sales to China’s security forces, but they say they have done everything necessary to comply with relevant laws.

Information is not easy to come by, but an outline of China’s mammoth effort can be found in interviews with engineers at the public security ministry’s biennial convention, in visits to Chinese surveillance camera factories and police stations, and in reports on China prepared for member companies of the Security Industry Association, a trade group based in Alexandria, Va.

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New Eyes In The Sky Watch Liberty Avenue

Walking and shopping along Liberty Avenue in South Ozone Park may have been a little safer this holiday season. In September, the NYPD installed digital video surveillance cameras at 14 points along the avenue between Lefferts Boulevard and the Van Wyck Expressway.Capt. Joseph Courtesis, commanding officer of the 106th Precinct, requested the surveillance cameras along the stretch because of the high crime there and because the area met the requirements necessary for their installations.
   
Two cameras pan the areas around each of the light posts to which they are affixed. After three days of recording, tapes are recorded over if they are not needed for evidence. The cameras’ pan-tilt-zoom capabilities give police the ability to retrieve license plate numbers at distances of two blocks. The cameras can also go live and feed information to the borough’s command center.

The effects of the cameras have not been assessed yet. The precinct has not compiled crime statistics for the area since September. In addition, Courtesis noted that the deterrent value of the cameras cannot be measured since many in the community are not aware of them. But those who do know of their installation appear pleased. “It’s about time,” said Angela Antonino of South Ozone Park. “I think that it’s a good idea.” She suggested that cameras be placed at high-traffic areas along Rockaway Boulevard. “An extra eye for the police is always helpful,”said Joy Patron, also of South Ozone Park. “If this is going to be at the cost of less police officers, then it’s not a good thing.”
   
Courtesis has gotten similar feedback from others. “People like it, they want it in their area.” he said. “My answer to that is I’ll put it everywhere I possibly can. ... I want the shoppers to feel safe.” Rockaway Boulevard, which has seen periods of high crime, will get cameras soon, Courtesis said, but he could not give a date for their installation. Courtesis anticipates that once officers begin making more arrests using evidence from surveillance tapes, criminals will be wary of committing crime in the area.
After one such arrest, two robbery suspects who allegedly struck near one of the cameras, originally maintained their innocence. Borrowing the line of sportscaster Warner Wolf, Courtesis suggested: “Let’s go to the videotape.”
 
After seeing themselves on the surveillance footage, the two confessed. “That is one success story already that aided in our investigation,” Courtesis said. The NYPD currently operates 120 surveillance cameras in places across the city and, despite the concerns some have raised about their privacy being invaded, plans to install hundreds more. Additionally, the NYPD monitors more than 3,000 cameras installed by the city Housing Authority in 15 public housing developments. The department also reviews tape from 1,000 cameras in subways, with 2,100 scheduled to be in place by 2008. Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly has pushed for greater use of cameras, arguing that they have been effective as deterrents to crime and investigative tools.

Cisco to network whole cities

Cisco Systems, the world's biggest maker of data networking equipment, plans to launch a business group, based in Bangalore, India, that will wire new buildings and even entirely new cities with state-of-the-art networking technology.

The group would be Cisco's first business unit to have its headquarters based outside the US.

The move comes as a construction boom is sweeping the Middle East, India and China, where dozens of cities are planned to accommodate an expected rise in urban populations during the next decade.

"There are millions of people in these countries that will be urbanised over the next 10 years," said Marthin De Beer, head of Cisco's emerging technologies group, which will run the business. "This is clearly a multi-billion dollar opportunity. We expect it to be worth at least $10bn over the next 10 years."

China estimates it will need to build 40 cities over the next 10 years to accommodate migration of workers from the countryside. In Saudi Arabia, authorities plan to build several cities in a bid to compete with Dubai and Abu Dhabi as a business hub.

Cisco hopes to convince the developers and governments in charge of these projects to leapfrog older telecommunications systems that are common in more advanced economies, by installing internet protocol, or IP, networks instead. Such networks are gradually replacing older systems, as the internet emerges as the preferred medium for data, video and telephone traffic.

A city wired top-to-bottom with IP technology would be able to use it to manage infrastructure, such as traffic signals or surveillance cameras, while residents would be able to use it to access media content or control energy use in homes or office buildings, Cisco said.

Cisco, which makes everything from the switches and routers that direct data along the internet backbone to IP-enabled telephones and television boxes, could be in a unique position to take advantage of opportunities presented by the expected construction boom, according to Inder Singh, an analyst at Lehman Brothers.

Cisco stressed the project was at an early stage. It is part of a broader push into developing countries by the group.

Wim Elfrink, Cisco's chief globalisation officer, recently became the first of several top executives to be based permanently in Bangalore.

More School Districts Considering Cameras

DONNA — The idea of installing surveillance camera systems in schools to deter unsafe activity is picking up steam in at least three area school districts.

South Texas, Donna and Sharyland school districts are among the districts that are considering implementation of the monitoring systems.

“We just want to improve the security of the schools,” said South Texas spokeswoman Andi Atkinson said. “Basically we just want to take any preventive measure we can for the safety of our students.”

The Texas Education Agency does not track how many campuses have surveillance cameras and does not make recommendations on how to implement surveillance programs. But the Center for Safe Communities & Schools at Texas State University offers a guide to school districts considering surveillance cameras.

According to the center, surveillance cameras can deter outsiders who don’t belong on campus as well as deter students from engaging in malicious activity.

Donna will likely consider next month whether to contract with a company called LenSec to install cameras at its five secondary school campuses. Superintendent Robert Loredo said the district’s W.A. Todd Ninth Grade Campus would likely be the first school to get the surveillance systems.

Under the plan, each of Donna’s secondary school campuses would have six cameras, both inside and outside the schools, said Alan Morris, regional sales director for LenSec. Each campus would also have at least one camera that can pan, tilt, zoom and pick up images in the dark, Morris said.

“Cameras are important and document activity,” Morris said. “How individuals use it is really up to them.”

“This is for the safety of our kids,” Loredo said. Last year, TEA labeled Donna High School and W.A. Todd as “persistently dangerous.”

The LenSec system would cost more than $500,000 and be funded with a federal grant.

Under LenSec’s system — which is also the one that South Texas is considering and PSJA already has — video images can be viewed from almost any computer, PDA or cell phone with computer access. Morris said that is particularly important during an emergency.

In a report on surveillance cameras, the Department of Justice explains that administrators and security personnel should understand that, for the most part, cameras are more effective identifying crime after the fact as opposed to stopping an ongoing incident.

Donna school board member Gilbert Guerrero said he intends to vote against the cameras because the district should have sought bids on the system, though he supports surveillance cameras themselves. The district is considering buying the cameras through a municipal cooperative known as the BuyBoard.

“It’s good to have students … know if you do something wrong, you’re going to get caught on camera, just to keep them on their toes,” Guerrero said. “It’s a deterrent to any illegal activity. But we need to go out for bids.”

Next month, South Texas will also decide whether to install 32 cameras across its three magnet schools. If approved, the cameras will be operational early in the spring semester, Atkinson said.
Atkinson said the decision to consider cameras was not due to any particular incident or uptick in student violence, but the district conducted a security audit last year where it was determined cameras could deter misbehavior.

The cameras will likely cost the district more than $150,000, which it budgeted for last year.
“Even though we don’t have a problem, we felt it can’t hurt,” Atkinson said.

Meanwhile, Sharyland also has several surveillance cameras in non-student areas, such as the exterior of an elementary school, which has had few break-ins, and at its bus fleet.
Superintendent Scott Owings said the district would eventually consider adding cameras to student areas, such as school bus pickup areas where students gather.

McAllen school district has had cameras since 1996 but upgraded them in the middle of last school year. Cameras are in place at its three high schools and Morris Middle School.

PSJA also upgraded its system last year, and now has cameras at all its secondary schools.
“It’s really a precaution for the safety of the kids,” spokeswoman Arianna Vazquez said.

Puerto Rico accepts camera surveillance, Florida approaches it cautiously

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - The public-housing project of Jardines de Monte Hatillo is a violent place run by drug gangs in the San Juan metropolitan area, where children learn before they can walk to drop to the floor when they hear gunfire.

Tired of the endless violence, the Puerto Rico Police Department and the Puerto Rico Housing Department are fighting crime with infrared-equipped video cameras that record everything that happens around the clock.

The images are broadcast to a monitoring center where police officers can zoom in so close that they can see the details of a tattoo or read a license plate.

Several Puerto Rican cities already have arrived where many Florida cities are heading: placing cameras in public places to deter criminal activity. Hallandale Beach, in South Florida, plans to install 120 cameras in seven public parks. The city of Sanibel approved 22 surveillance cameras at its Lighthouse Beach.

In Florida, unlike Puerto Rico, surveillance cameras in public places are still controversial. It took Florida almost a decade, the opinions of two attorneys general and many legislative debates about privacy rights for cameras to be allowed on traffic lights.

Yet, in violence-ridden Puerto Rico, electronic surveillance is widely accepted as an effective crime-fighting tool. In just a few years, cameras have proliferated and are found in 20 housing projects, and the streets, train stations, sports venues and public areas of at least 26 municipalities.

"Cameras add a layer of safety to any place and are a deterrent element," said Pedro Toledo, Puerto Rico Police Department superintendent. "So what if you catch someone having a bad hair day when lives can be saved?"

What's prevented

The arrival of visitors to Monte Hatillo stirs the drug gangs' sentries. These are teenagers on scooters with their faces partially covered by helmets or bandannas who quiz newcomers about their business and follow their every move. It is impossible to talk to the residents outside of their earshot.

But the sentries and their bosses are being watched, too. Up on the walls, roofs and light poles is an army of electronic eyes comprising 76 video cameras. Residents, still too afraid of the gangs to give their full names, say the cameras have forced the gangs to re-think their criminal activities.

"Last Monday they killed a man at 10 till 8 [a.m.] back there," said Rosa, 75, pointing to an empty lot outside the complex. "In the past they would've killed him in any of our yards as the children walked to school."

Data from the Puerto Rico Police Department shows only a small drop in the number of violent crimes in Monte Hatillo and other housing projects. But government officials argue that the real success lies in the crimes that have been prevented.

"We have been able to spot situations and stop them before they develop into something serious," said inspector Guillermo Calixto, director of the monitoring center. "Since we began operating the system, we have generated 25 arrests of individuals we have caught in a criminal act. I'm sure that's being a powerful deterrent for others."

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CNet launches wireless IP Camera

US-based networking and communications company CNet Technology has launched the CIC-920W, a wireless IP camera to cater to the small office/home office and end-user markets.

According to the company, the camera offers a MPEG-4 video compression, 640x480 image resolution, motion detection, alarm notification and Wi-Fi protected access wireless security. The company added that the camera can be used to monitor employee safety or activities of the family at home.

"The surveillance camera market is shifting from closed-circuit TV to IP cameras. In addition, the industry is migrating from motion JPEG to MPEG-4," said Bryan Chan, vice president at CNet. "With both wired and secure wireless interfaces adding to the product's flexibility, this day-and-night camera comes with motion detection that makes it an ideal for security and surveillance needs."

The camera is available for $169 through the company's distributors, including Tech Data, Eastern Data, Amax, MaLabs, Centel, CT International and Intcomex.

The IP camera market has seen a number of new product launches this year. In October 2007, Hong Kong-based Join Link launched the SV-301C, a dual-codec model with built-in web server and full D1 resolution, while in May 2007, TeleEye launched the NF620 IP camera, which supports M-JPEG and MPEG-4 video streams and recording.

San Diego:Sprinter line's stations, rails, cars equiped with cameras for 'high-tech security'

Anyone planning to break into a car parked at a Sprinter stop or grab the purse of an unsuspecting woman waiting for a train may want to think twice.

There's hardly an inch of parking lot, platform or track that isn't being watched at the 15 stations along the Sprinter line, which is expected to start running between Escondido and Oceanside on Jan. 13.

An invitation-only grand opening for the North County Transit District's $477 million line is set for Friday.

Security cameras – 10 to 14 are at each station – are already sending images to a panel of 48 screens, each carrying four feeds, in a dim room of the Sprinter operations center in Escondido.

From this center, in a tightly secured building off Washington Avenue where the trains are maintained, Sprinters are dispatched and the tracks and stations are watched. Should someone fall onto the tracks or break into a car, the transit employees watching the screens will send police, the fire department or its own security team.

“We've pulled out all the stops for a high-tech security operation,” said control-room supervisor Ed Hale, a former Los Angeles police lieutenant.

The transit district is paying $1.6 million for security for the Sprinter's first year of operation, which includes a private security force, sheriff's patrols and in-house monitoring.

If someone picks up an emergency phone, the camera swings over to cover the phone so security can see what's going on and tell callers they can be seen.

Cameras also will be added to the 12 Sprinter trains, Hale said. Although they won't provide a live feed, they will record action inside the cars.

In the past couple of weeks, Veolia Transportation, the company hired to operate the line, has been making practice runs along the route. Operators have been learning to handle the new trains and testing crossing signals and gates before the Sprinter starts taking passengers.

The transit district is paying Veolia $27.1 million over five years to operate the Sprinter, with a $5.5 million option for extra work on the line.

The dispatching capability is a first for the district, which has never had direct control of train travel on its tracks before.

The coastal railroad used by the Coaster, Amtrak and freight trains is owned by the transit district, but the trains are dispatched from Pomona by the Southern California Regional Rail Authority, district spokesman Tom Kelleher said.

The transit district operates a security office at the Oceanside Transit Center that oversees the coastal railroad.

HIGH SCHOOL SAFETY KPS will add 200 security cameras

KALAMAZOO -- More than 200 additional security cameras will be installed in Kalamazoo's high schools after the Kalamazoo Public Schools Board of Education approved their purchase Thursday night.

Kalamazoo Central High School will go from having 16 cameras to 129, Loy Norrix High School will go from 42 to 164, and the Kennedy Center, which houses alternative programs, will go from 15 cameras to 22. Norrix has the most because of its sprawling layout.

A federal grant will cover the $288,000 cost of the cameras, and the district is spending an additional $131,000 from its 2006 bond issue to install the cabling infrastructure.

The plan calls for installation of a new video system that will provide surveillance of all corridors, stairways, lobbies and places of assembly, including cafeterias, gymnasiums, swimming pools and weight rooms. Exterior surveillance includes parking lots, bus-loading areas, student entrances and building perimeters.

Superintendent Michael Rice said the new cameras will provide much better coverage and images and that the data will be stored for longer.

``It's expected to provide a much safer environment at the three schools,'' Rice said.

He said other security upgrades are under consideration, included upgrading the video-surveillance system on school buses and installing a buzzer system for the main entrances at the elementary schools.

Police Catching Criminals Thanks To Park Cameras

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Police officers can now monitor surveillance cameras in Metro parks from their patrol cars. The technology is new this year, and Friday the cameras paid off. The Metro Police Department has been working on the project for almost a year. Friday one of the cameras captured a crime in West Nashville. Steve Englert hoped police could capture the man who broke into his wife's car and stole her purse. "I hope we can track down the car. I know she was there," Englert said.

The video was captured by one of Metro's park cameras stationed above the Centennial Sportsplex parking lot. There are a dozen cameras watching parks all over the city, and now park police can monitor what is happening from computers in their patrol cars. Sergeant Houston Taylor entered a few passwords on his laptop and pulled up a live picture from Two Rivers Park. "At the skate park we can see any vandalism, graffiti that anybody might be being, also break-ins in that were in the park, and other illegal acts that also might be going on in the park," said Taylor. Not only can Taylor and his colleagues watch any of the cameras, they can also pan and zoom in.

Some might say Big Brother is watching.  "We have again no desire to infringe upon anybody's privacy while watching our parks, but we do want to make them safe for those people in there. We hope this to be a tool," said Taylor.     Taylor said police can use all the help they can get. There are more than 10,000 acres of park space in Davidson County. In the case of Steve Englert's stolen SUV, the camera worked. Video showed the suspect's car - a white mini van. A little later the suspect can be seen standing to the right of his wife's Ford Expedition. Metro police can enhance the video to see the license plate of the mini van and track down the owner. 

Metro has cameras in Watkins Park, Hamilton Creek, Cedar Hill, Two Rivers, and the Centennial Sportsplex. There are plans to install cameras at Charlotte Park, Peeler Park and Cane Ridge. Cameras at Riverfront and Whitfield Park will be added within the next couple of weeks.    When police detect a crime spree in another neighborhood, cameras can be installed within just a few days.