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IP Hits the Middle East

North London-based IP consultant UBIQZ has assisted a local installer with a £250,000 Internet-addressable camera surveillance project in Tripoli, Libya.

Forty Sony cameras have been installed over 11 floors of a finance tower block in a project that is one of the first instances of a Middle East building adopting IP on a significant scale.

The location is the Dat el-Emad complex in the heart of Tripoli's financial district and near the site of the old city.  As with other installations, UBIQZ worked with the existing security installer, seamlessly helping them with an IP solution and allowing them to take the lead in terms of client communication.

Since the tower was brand new, suitable structured cabling was already laid out for IT.  Libyan engineers installed the units while UBIQX oversaw the operation and offered advice as necessary.

The cameras are monitoring both workers and customers as they enter and leave the building as well as ATM areas, foreign exchange desks and an underground treasury section.

Staff at a manned control room look for clear-cut incidents or unusual patterns of behaviour. Using the cameras' embedded intelligence, abnormal scenes can be searched for retrospectively.  Sony's RealShot Manager software handles aspects including mapping, scheduling and layout, with the client benefiting from schematic diagrams of camera layouts on each floor.

The Libyan project underlines that UBIQZ is able to help users configure and understand the subtleties of the cameras on their networks as well as providing system architecture.

UBIQZ's other recent projects include two UK health care sites, a faith school in Bromley, Kent, and a network of central London car parks.  Almost alone among security consultants, UBIQZ specialises in pure IP-addressable solutions and systems where analogue and IP components are integrated

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."

Read the Entire Article Here

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.

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."

Read the entire article here

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.

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.

Surveillance Society: New High-Tech Cameras Are Watching You

Liberty Island's video cameras all feed into a computer system. The park doesn't disclose details, but fully equipped, the system is capable of running software that analyzes the imagery and automatically alerts human overseers to any suspicious events. The software can spot when somebody abandons a bag or backpack. It has the ability to discern between ferryboats, which are allowed to approach the island, and private vessels, which are not. And it can count bodies, detecting if somebody is trying to stay on the island after closing, or assessing when people are grouped too tightly together, which might indicate a fight or gang activity. "A camera with artificial intelligence can be there 24/7, doesn't need a bathroom break, doesn't need a lunch break and doesn't go on vacation," says Ian Ehrenberg, former vice president of Nice Systems, the program's developer.

Read the entire article here.

Extra Set Of Eyes

CUMBERLAND - The Cumberland Police Department plans to place a few more real-time cameras at various locations in the Queen City as part of its continuing effort to enhance public safety.

"These cameras are valuable as investigative tools as well as real-time recording that aids us in our response to the scene," said Capt. Kevin Ogle, the department's operations supervisor.

Fixed-mount cameras that record 24 hours, seven days a week are situated at each corner of the Public Safety Building on Bedford Street; in the Queen City Drive pedestrian underpass; in downtown Cumberland atop the Cumberland Arms building and on the roof of the Business Resource Center; on buildings in the 700 block of Maryland Avenue; and at Virginia Avenue and Third Street.

About a month ago, a camera was mounted on a traffic light at the busy intersection of Oldtown Road, Virginia and Maryland avenues, and Lamont Street to monitor activity on those streets. The first cameras in the city were installed within the last two years.

Additional locations are planned at the Centre Street playground in the 500 block of North Centre Street and the 400 block of Henderson Avenue.

And that's not all.

"We would like to have a mobile camera that we can move from location to location as needed," said Ogle.

"For example, if we have disturbances or problems in a particular section of the city, we could set up this camera."

All the cameras are monitored at city police headquarters and at the Allegany County 911 Joint Communications Division by police dispatchers.

The cameras, which have pan, tilt and zoom capabilities, are recording around the clock and recordings are stored for about 45 days. The cameras can be operated by supervisors at the police station and at the 911 center and are operated through Allconet, a local government Internet system.

"We can watch live footage at all times," said Jon Daddysman, city information technology technician who assisted with installation and setup of the camera and monitor system.

"The cameras give our citizens a greater sense of security, and if something does happen, it's all recorded as evidence that we can look back and review," said Daddysman.

Although the cameras have been in use in the city for a few years, apparently there have been no complaints about cameras. "We've had no complaints. The neighborhood watch groups wanted these cameras. They assisted the department in selecting some of the locations," said Ogle.

Cumberland is just one of many cities throughout the country and the world that now rely on real-time camera surveillance. The widespread use by cities and law enforcement took off after the terrorism of Sept. 11, 2001.

However, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a 25-page report titled "Under the Watchful Eye" that concludes that public surveillance programs should be stopped until they are evaluated thoroughly.

The report stated that cities across the nation are using surveillance cameras with almost no public debate and few adopted policies of how the data will be used.

Ogle said the cameras in the city are used "mostly as investigative tools."

"We're not using these cameras to watch the general public. There is no one sitting in front of a bank of monitors observing what is happening real-time on these cameras.

"So we don't see a need for a regulating policy at this time. And there are no plans to assign personnel to monitor these cameras 24/7," said Ogle.

Funds for the cameras were derived from grant monies and the police department's operating budget. The price of a single camera can be as much as several thousand dollars.

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Surveillance System Helps Protect Popular San Diego Beach

San Diego draws millions of tourists every year and is home to miles of beautiful beaches and luscious scenery. But just like any large city, law enforcement must constantly wage battle against an ever-growing number of criminals. One area of concern for San Diego was Mission Beach. The most popular beach in the city draws throngs of visitors and is home to numerous businesses. And in 2006, police reported the largest number of violent crimes in the beach’s history, including two sexual assaults. In response, residents collected more than $30,000 in private donations for a video surveillance system. An additional $80,000 was raised in a bond proposition.

With funding set, the city looked to local provider Dotworkz for a solution. "The city's chief concerns were to deter crime on Mission Beach, to create a visual record of any incidents that may occur and to improve police response times," said William Ferris, CEO of Dotworkz. "An analog CCTV system could not deliver what they needed. IP-based video, however, could achieve those objectives and more, plus add the capability for expansion without significant capital costs."

The system now includes five Sony SNC-RZ50 PTZ network cameras to cover the relatively small perimeters of Belmont Park. The cameras feature 26x optical zoom, allowing police to zoom in on small or distant details. And with the cameras located in a residential area, four of the five cameras are configured with Dotworkz “city link” mesh option in the 5.8 GHz wireless spectrum instead of 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi. With the wireless option, the cameras transmit high-resolution video at up to 20 fps with 108 megabyte throughput back to the police command center two miles away. "Wireless connectivity gives the Mission Beach system additional flexibility and scalability, plus saved the municipality the cost of wiring and installation labor," Ferris said. "Right now, the video is sent to the northern division area's command center, but in the future roving police may add camera access on their laptops, PDAs and smart phones."

The system is tied together with the NetDVMS software from On-Net Surveillance Systems. The software gives law enforcement in the command center immediate and centralized access to all of the cameras and schedulable PTZ patrol sequences when the system is not being actively manned.

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