Concert For Valor

Total Recall secures venues for Veteran’s Day celebration

• By Viktoriya Vudmaska
• Jun 01, 2015

Securing any venue or event is a difficult thing to do, but when it comes to Washington, D.C., or a national treasure, it is a good bet that Jordan Heilweil and Total Recall Corp. will be involved.

The first U.S. Concert for Valor was part of the 2014 celebration in the nation’s capital, which meant security was top of mind for everyone involved, because there would be hundreds of thousands of guests and visitors on the National Mall.

The Veterans Day event in Washington, D.C. drew global attention with performances by Bruce Springsteen, Metallica, Carrie Underwood, Eminem and Rhianna.

The goal for Total Recall was to provide video surveillance and situational awareness in a high-profile event that includes hundreds of thousands of attendees at a national landmark.

KEEPING AN EYE PEELED

Total Recall implemented its CrimeEye citywide video surveillance units that feature HDTV-quality Axis Communications dome network and Dallmeier Multifocal Sensor System Panamera video cameras as well as Genetecs’ video management software.

The first U.S. Concert for Valor was a great success in both the event’s mission of honoring veterans and active military and providing a safe event with optimum security. Total Recall was asked to join because of their experience in providing crowd security at such high-profile events. The November 2014 event also had the sponsorship of Caring for Military Families charities and sponsors Starbucks, HBO, Chase and Twitter, as they honored the courage and sacrifice of veterans, active-duty military and their families.

“An event like the Concert for Valor unfortunately draws unwanted attention,” said Jordan Heilweil president of Total Recall Corp. “Securing special events such as this calls for expertise in being able to set up video surveillance with all of the capability and reliability expected from a fixed system.”

Heilweil said that securing any special event or large gathering calls for expertise in the ability to set up mobile and temporary video surveillance and security. The Concert for Valor, however, commanded the highest in security as the event was held on a national landmark in the nation’s capital, held on a U.S. holiday honoring the military, drew hundreds of thousands of attendees, and included numerous-high profile celebrity performances.

Total Recall has a working relationship with the U.S. Park Police, thanks in part to their work at the Statue of Liberty, to provide video surveillance security at the Concert for Valor. Total Recall was one of several organizations honored in 2014 for donating a multi-million dollar surveillance and security upgrade to help restore security for the Statue of Liberty after it was seriously damaged by Hurricane Sandy in 2012.

The company deployed its CrimeEye Citywide Public Safety CCTV System. Law enforcement such as the Park Police, as well as state and city departments, often have the need to deploy high quality and reliable video surveillance to provide general security as well as for events such as the Concert for Valor, marathons, parades, street fairs and demonstrations. The security system is a solution that will encompass the camera systems on the street, back to the command center.

Digital solutions range from stand-alone, self-install systems to complete enterprise solutions. Enterprise solutions include a digital wireless network to bring live real-time video to a head end or command center. Several versions of camera systems with features that range from fixed field of view to PTZ cameras to megapixel technology. Some systems are recorded locally while others are recorded both locally and simultaneously transmitted to a remote recording system. Camera systems have wireless access points for street-side viewing and control.

CrimeEye units used at the event worked in concert with HDTV-quality Axis Communications dome network cameras and Genetec VMS—provided situational awareness to help monitor access and egress to the National Mall.

Dallmeier Multifocal Sensor System Panomera cameras were also used for security coverage of the event, as these cameras are adept at providing all-encompassing video surveillance of expansive areas such as the National Mall. The new technology in Dallmeier’s Panomera cameras was one tool used to help monitor the crowd as a whole, with the added ability of zooming in on specific detail if a situation arose.

“The security coverage at The Concert for Valor was outstanding and provided the U.S. Park Police the visual tools they needed for situational awareness and coverage of the event,” Heilweil said. “Of course with any event with so many people in attendance you are going to have incidents, scuffles or arrests—but the concert was free of any major security threats which we consider a great success.”

Total Recall provides support for projects like the Concert for Valor and the Statue of Liberty as a commitment to community. The fact that organizers of such high-profile events and landmarks continue to call upon Total Recall for security is a testament to its ability to provide the proper video surveillance security.

“We were grateful to take this opportunity to provide security as well as recognize the service of our current and former members of the military,” said Heilweil. “It’s an honor to be called upon time and again to provide video surveillance services for the Park Police and for the historical landmarks they protect.”

This article originally appeared in the June 2015 issue of Security Today.