California City Uses IP Video To Help Successfully Tackle Crime

  • Jan 26, 2011

IP video surveillance technology developed by IndigoVision and Leverage Information Systems is behind an amazing security and public safety transformation in the City of Lynwood, Calif. For the past 10 years, the city has been dealing with an ongoing battle to rid the community of gang related crime and prostitution, which is prevalent along Long Beach Blvd., Lynwood’s busiest thoroughfare.

In 2008 the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, Century Station, under the direction of Captain James Hellmold, implemented a tactical surveillance trial in partnership with Leverage Information Systems using IndigoVision’s IP video technology combined with ‘Leverage Surveillance Node’ units.

Cameras were installed using a wireless network at the entrances to two hospitals and at Century Station itself. Shortly after beginning the trial, the Century Station Command Center caught on camera an incident that enabled the Sheriff’s department to intervene and neutralize an escalating situation between two warring gangs. Based on the success of this trial, Captain Hellmold knew that by expanding the surveillance system to cover Long Beach Boulevard, the prostitution issue would be dramatically curbed. By the end of 2008, Lynwood’s Advance Surveillance and Protection (ASAP) program was born. Its goal was to utilize technology and keep the community united and working as a team to “take their city back”.

In early 2009 the installation was completed with cameras located on the busy Long Beach Boulevard corridor and in other targeted areas around the city.

“I don’t like to name other cities, but I can tell you that Lynwood crime statistics are significantly lower,” Hellmold said. “Whereas in the past, Lynwood used to be thought of as a dangerous and violent area, it’s now been turned around and businesses are seeking to invest in the area.”

According to the Sheriff’s Department, these efforts have resulted in the lowest number of homicides in the city since 1985.

“It is because of the cameras that criminals know that they cannot mess around with Lynwood,” Hellmold said. “We have had several recorded interviews with criminals who have admitted that they knew not to enter the city with the intention of committing a crime.”

In 2010 the city won the coveted All-America City Award, which recognizes communities that come together to identify and take on challenges and accomplish results through dedication, inclusiveness and innovation. At the heart of the city’s award submission was the success of the advanced surveillance system.

Commenting on the award, Mayor Maria Santillan, said, “The city has come a long way and that the surveillance camera program has a lot to do with the improvements, along with an aggressive plan to attack violent crime between the Sheriff’s Department, the city and residents.”

IndigoVision’s distributed architecture allows cameras to be located at any point on the wireless network, providing a flexible surveillance platform for the current installation and any future expansion. High-quality live and recorded video, which is archived on IndigoVision’s NVRs, is viewed on a PC workstation running ‘Control Center’, IndigoVision’s Security Management Software. Advanced analysis tools, analytics and alarms all enable operators to quickly identify and respond to incidents. Evidential quality video clips can be exported for further investigation and for use in court.

IndigoVision’s ability to deliver very high-quality low-bandwidth digital video on a flexible wireless platform has meant that it has been chosen for many city surveillance projects around the world. The success in Lynwood demonstrates how a well designed surveillance solution, backed up with the very best technology can have a dramatic impact on crime.
 

 

Featured

  • Report: 47 Percent of Security Service Providers Are Not Yet Using AI or Automation Tools

    Trackforce, a provider of security workforce management platforms, today announced the launch of its 2025 Physical Security Operations Benchmark Report, an industry-first study that benchmarks both private security service providers and corporate security teams side by side. Based on a survey of over 300 security professionals across the globe, the report provides a comprehensive look at the state of physical security operations. Read Now

    • Guard Services

  • Identity Governance at the Crossroads of Complexity and Scale

    Modern enterprises are grappling with an increasing number of identities, both human and machine, across an ever-growing number of systems. They must also deal with increased operational demands, including faster onboarding, more scalable models, and tighter security enforcement. Navigating these ever-growing challenges with speed and accuracy requires a new approach to identity governance that is built for the future enterprise. Read Now

  • Eagle Eye Networks Launches AI Camera Gun Detection

    Eagle Eye Networks, a provider of cloud video surveillance, recently introduced Eagle Eye Gun Detection, a new layer of protection for schools and businesses that works with existing security cameras and infrastructure. Eagle Eye Networks is the first to build gun detection into its platform. Read Now

  • Report: AI is Supercharging Old-School Cybercriminal Tactics

    AI isn’t just transforming how we work. It’s reshaping how cybercriminals attack, with threat actors exploiting AI to mass produce malicious code loaders, steal browser credentials and accelerate cloud attacks, according to a new report from Elastic. Read Now

  • Pragmatism, Productivity, and the Push for Accountability in 2025-2026

    Every year, the security industry debates whether artificial intelligence is a disruption, an enabler, or a distraction. By 2025, that conversation matured, where AI became a working dimension in physical identity and access management (PIAM) programs. Observations from 2025 highlight this turning point in AI’s role in access control and define how security leaders are being distinguished based on how they apply it. Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • ResponderLink

    ResponderLink

    Shooter Detection Systems (SDS), an Alarm.com company and a global leader in gunshot detection solutions, has introduced ResponderLink, a groundbreaking new 911 notification service for gunshot events. ResponderLink completes the circle from detection to 911 notification to first responder awareness, giving law enforcement enhanced situational intelligence they urgently need to save lives. Integrating SDS’s proven gunshot detection system with Noonlight’s SendPolice platform, ResponderLink is the first solution to automatically deliver real-time gunshot detection data to 911 call centers and first responders. When shots are detected, the 911 dispatching center, also known as the Public Safety Answering Point or PSAP, is contacted based on the gunfire location, enabling faster initiation of life-saving emergency protocols.

  • AC Nio

    AC Nio

    Aiphone, a leading international manufacturer of intercom, access control, and emergency communication products, has introduced the AC Nio, its access control management software, an important addition to its new line of access control solutions.

  • 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.”