New Network Video Surveillance System Helping To Prevent, Solve Crimes In Chicago Suburb

  • May 20, 2009

The city of Burbank, Ill., which neighbors Chicago and has a population of more than 28,000, has installed a new video surveillance system using 22 Sony SNC-RX Series IP network security cameras to aid the police department in preventing and solving crimes.

Since completion of the upgrade in November, images captured by the cameras have helped police make more than 13 arrests and recorded evidence for use in more than 45 cases.

The cameras are programmed to patrol and move from position to position automatically to assist officers with 24/7 video monitoring in the control room.

“It’s like having an additional 22 sets of eyes at your fingertips,” said Burbank Police Captain Joe Ford. “It is a force multiplier, enabling us to see areas not currently being patrolled while officers are concentrating on other assignments. Our ultimate goal is to enhance our law enforcement function with all the tools available, combining good police work with advanced technology.”

Ford said the cameras’ presence has already proven to motivate those accused of crimes to plead guilty due to the irrefutable evidence the video provides, saving the criminal justice system valuable time and resources.

Waypoint Consulting of Chicago, Ill. designed and engineered the system for the city, selecting the PTZ multi-codec SNC-RX530N/W and SNC-RX570N network cameras to serve as work horses for incident recording.

“In addition to their phenomenal reliability, what sold us on these cameras was the SNC-RX570N’s 36X zoom lens with its 122.4 millimeter focal length,” said Jim Trofimuk, owner and principal of Waypoint Consulting. “It makes accurate facial recognition and license plate reading possible from a distance of up to 500 feet. The image quality is outstanding and continues to impress anyone who sees it.”

The SNC-RX530N/W and SNC-RX570N cameras offer 360 degrees of endless panning and rotation for precise capture of any object surrounding the camera. The cameras also employ the latest H.264 compression technology -- the highest available for image transport and storage. According to Trofimuk, this enables the police department to extend its data storage capacity to up to 30 days, ideal for its incident recording needs.

Trofimuk says that video captured on the cameras is transported via Firetide HotPort 6000 wireless mesh nodes to centralized aggregation points. Motorola 58600 Point-to-Point Bridges link the mesh nodes with the Burbank Police Station, transferring the images at Ethernet data rates up to 300 MBps to Network Video Recorders.

The cameras have been installed at numerous outdoor locations including city hall, bus stops, public parks, schools and shopping center parking lots. The SNC-RX570N serves as the primary outdoor camera due to its extensive focal length. The RX530N/W’s lower lux rating makes it ideal for lower lighting day and night positions such as parks and pathways.

The city is reviewing locations for additional cameras and is building partnerships with local businesses to expand its presence in commercial locations.

Featured

  • Securing the Future

    Two security experts sit down with Security Today’s editor in chief Ralph C. Jensen to discuss what they see emerging and changing over the next several years along with how security stakeholders can harness these innovations into opportunities. Read Now

  • Collaboration Made Easy Using a Work Management Platform

    Effective collaboration between security operators, teams and other departments is critical to the smooth functioning of organizations. Yet, as organizations grow in complexity, it becomes more difficult for teams to coordinate with each other. This is compounded by staffing shortages, turnover and ineffective collaboration tools. Read Now

  • Creating a Safer World

    Managing and supporting locks and door hardware within a facility is a big responsibility. A building’s security needs to change over time as occupancy and use demands evolve, which can make it even more challenging. Read Now

  • Report: 78 Percent of CISOs Seeing Significant Impact from AI-Powered Cyber Threats

    Darktrace recently unveiled its 2025 State of AI Cybersecurity report. The findings reveal that 78% of Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) surveyed say that AI-powered threats are having a significant impact on their organizations, a 5% increase1 from 2024. While an increasing number of CISOs report feeling a significant impact from AI threats, more than 60% now say that they are adequately prepared to defend against these threats, an increase of nearly 15% year-over-year. However, insufficient AI knowledge and skills and a shortage of personnel and talent continue to be listed as the two top inhibitors to a successful defense. Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • Luma x20

    Luma x20

    Snap One has announced its popular Luma x20 family of surveillance products now offers even greater security and privacy for home and business owners across the globe by giving them full control over integrators’ system access to view live and recorded video. According to Snap One Product Manager Derek Webb, the new “customer handoff” feature provides enhanced user control after initial installation, allowing the owners to have total privacy while also making it easy to reinstate integrator access when maintenance or assistance is required. This new feature is now available to all Luma x20 users globally. “The Luma x20 family of surveillance solutions provides excellent image and audio capture, and with the new customer handoff feature, it now offers absolute privacy for camera feeds and recordings,” Webb said. “With notifications and integrator access controlled through the powerful OvrC remote system management platform, it’s easy for integrators to give their clients full control of their footage and then to get temporary access from the client for any troubleshooting needs.”

  • HD2055 Modular Barricade

    Delta Scientific’s electric HD2055 modular shallow foundation barricade is tested to ASTM M50/P1 with negative penetration from the vehicle upon impact. With a shallow foundation of only 24 inches, the HD2055 can be installed without worrying about buried power lines and other below grade obstructions. The modular make-up of the barrier also allows you to cover wider roadways by adding additional modules to the system. The HD2055 boasts an Emergency Fast Operation of 1.5 seconds giving the guard ample time to deploy under a high threat situation.

  • QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    The latest Qualcomm® Vision Intelligence Platform offers next-generation smart camera IoT solutions to improve safety and security across enterprises, cities and spaces. The Vision Intelligence Platform was expanded in March 2022 with the introduction of the QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC), which delivers superior artificial intelligence (AI) inferencing at the edge.