Nonprofit Full Security
Cameras help therapeutic center re-establish peace of mind
- By Steve Gorski
- Jun 01, 2012
For more than 30 years, Equest Therapeutic Riding Center in Wylie,
Texas, has provided horse-assisted therapies to adults and children
with physical, cognitive and emotional disabilities. The first nonprofit
riding center of its kind and one of the largest in Texas, Equest
has helped more than 150 clients per week improve muscle tone,
strength, flexibility and balance through horseback riding instruction. Operating
primarily with donated horses and volunteers, the 48-acre facility helps riders increase
emotional and physical development by the use of therapies that increase
self-esteem, concentration and independence. Equest recently launched a mental
health program for military veterans to help those returning from war cope with
post-traumatic stress disorder. The center does not rest on its current accomplishments;
rather, it is constantly training new instructors and working with experts
to improve its range of horse-assisted activities and aims to empower, enrich and
educate its students.
One morning about 18 months ago, Brad Causey, the facility and stable manager,
arrived to find that the riding center’s truck, flatbed trailer and riding lawnmower
had been stolen from the property.
“We were in shock that it happened,” Causey said. “We thought, ‘Who would
do this to us?’”
Fortunately, the ensuing media coverage led to a string of generous donations
from sympathetic people looking to help the center’s cause. The donations didn’t
just place a bandage over the loss of stolen goods; they enabled Equest to purchase
upgrades. With the donations and insurance, center officials were able to purchase
a new truck, trailer and lawnmower that were better than the stolen equipment.
“We felt very blessed,” Causey said. “The community support was unbelievable.
We became the ones that needed therapy, and we were provided with care that
exceeded our expectations. The support of our community allowed us to turn a
negative into a positive.”
However, the monetary donations could not help with the emotional recovery.
Equest relies on hundreds of volunteers and employees to manage the center and
its activities, and the theft made employees, riders and families fearful that more
crime could occur on site.
Thankfully, a proactive donation arrived: a surveillance system consisting of
five MOBOTIX D12 cameras and five MOBOTIX M12 cameras. Systems integrator
Alpha Security installed the system and educated the staff on how to work the
cameras and the MOBOTIX MxControlCenter video management system. Sasho
Sorli, owner of Aspen, Colo.-based Alpha Security installed four cameras in the
barn looking up and down the aisles of the horse stalls. One camera is directed at
the driveway, one in the accounting office, two in the hay barn and storage shed
and two pointed to the parking lot protecting the truck and trailers.
Founded in 1994, Alpha Security is a technology solutions company with a
diverse background of talent and experience. It aligned itself with MOBOTIX
after learning the value of the company’s German-engineered quality and unique
approach to IP-based megapixel video surveillance.
“I never doubted that MOBOTIX was the right solution for Equest,” Sorli said.
“The weatherproof M12 is perfect for their parking lot surveillance with its night-time sensitivity and high-resolution
imagery. The staff quickly learned the
user-friendly interface of MxControl-
Center and can now access live images,
review video and record permanent
footage for storage on CDs or DVDs.”
Alpha recommended a comprehensive
surveillance system from MOBOTIX
because of the system’s IP-centric
approach, high-resolution video and
cost-effectiveness. One high-resolution
MOBOTIX camera with 3.1 megapixels
records 30 times more detail than
traditional CCTV cameras. As a result,
larger image areas of up to 360-degree
views are possible, reducing the number
of cameras needed and upfront and
long-term costs. Unlike other systems,
the MOBOTIX decentralized concept
incorporates a high-speed computer
into every camera, reducing network
bandwidth because video is processed
on the cameras itself and images do not
have to be constantly transferred. With
the purchase of MOBOTIX cameras,
users receive MxControlCenter free of
charge. MxControlCenter is a video
management software package that includes
features such as unlimited users,
simple configuration and installation,
layout editor for floor plans and a userfriendly
interface and camera view.
“Many times people don’t know
how to use some of the features of their
VMS systems, so we make sure our
clients not only know how to use Mx-
ControlCenter but are aware of how to
maximize it for the best return on investment,”
Sorli said.
Equest never dealt with much crime
in its 30-year history, but it took only
one incident to serve as a wake-up call.
Since the MOBOTIX cameras were
installed, only one more incident has
taken place, but it was nowhere near the
scale of the last occurrence.
“We came in one morning and saw
the truck backed up with the tailgate
facing the road, and we thought that
someone might have tried to steal the
tailgate,” Causey said. “We went in and
reviewed the video footage from the
night before and, sure enough, at about
2 a.m. someone came and tried to cause
some sort of damage to our truck.”
Most importantly, the new surveillance
system from MOBOTIX allows
Equest to focus on its core mission: to
be a place of therapy. It has allowed the
center’s generous volunteers and recovering
clients to get back on the horse,
literally and figuratively, shedding any
fears created by the previous criminal
incident. With the support of its community,
Alpha and MOBOTIX, Equest
has taken the reins to securing the future
of its riding center.
“If we can’t make our clients feel secure,
it will greatly affect the degree to
which we can help them,” Causey said.
“How can we help them gain confidence
when, at the same time, they are
worried about safety in our facility? We
have demonstrated that we have these
cameras, and I’m sure it has helped and
will continue to help deter suspicious
activity and give the
staff, horses and clients
peace of mind.”
This article originally appeared in the June 2012 issue of Security Today.