Texas Border School District Upgrades Security from Analog to IP

  • Oct 26, 2015

Milestone Systems' open platform IP video management software (VMS) is the flexible foundation for continuing expansion by the Mission Consolidated Independent School District (Mission CISD) in South Texas. Their previous analog systems had too many limitations such as low resolution and stationary (fixed position) cameras that hampered investigations into incidences.

After five years of evaluating several internet protocol (IP) camera management software systems, the Board of Trustees for Mission CISD chose American Surveillance Company Inc. to assist with camera installations and a Milestone system configuration for a number of the school campuses. In 2011 they approved a $1.7 million Safety and Security Initiative to continue rolling it out in all locations.

In 2013, Mission CISD created a command center manned by certified technicians who maintain the cameras and ensure the servers are fully operational. Arecont Vision megapixel video cameras include 180 and 360-degree panoramic options and audio-enabled models, with motion detection, day/night functionality, vandal-resistant housings and remote focus/zoom.

As of early 2015 Mission CISD operated more than 600 IP cameras and 260 analog cameras, with encoders to convert analog video to digital. There is a dedicated server at each campus, with multiple servers in select locations. Perimeters are protected around each campus, and cameras are deployed at points of entry in school gymnasiums, cafeterias, libraries, hallways and playgrounds.

Mission CISD covers 41 square miles along the U.S.-Mexico border. It serves almost 16,000 students in four high schools, four junior high schools, 14 elementary schools and two special-needs schools, and includes administrative offices and several other departments. The district is supported by the Maintenance, Child Nutrition, Transportation, Warehouse and Technology Departments.

Open Platform Gives Big District Flexibility

Rene Flores is the Security Management Coordinator at Mission CISD. He looked at a number of VMS solutions that required them to purchase all the products as one package deal. The Milestone open platform software offered much more flexibility and choice.

"With Milestone, you're not tied to one vendor," Flores says. "We can choose different hardware for different campuses. This is great for us because each campus provides its own unique set of security challenges, and we need to have a system that's adaptable."

Another important criteria for Mission CISD was to accommodate an expanding school district.

"The Milestone open platform lets us easily add to and manage our system. It's both adaptive and very user friendly, which means we can add users when we need to with minimal training," reports Rene Flores. "We're building a new college learning center for the incoming school year, and we're remodeling an old high school and adding on to several other facilities. These will require new cameras and I want to get it right from the beginning. Using Milestone ensures that we have the infrastructure and software necessary to grow in a way that makes the most sense for our district."

Analog to IP: A Significant Upgrade

Jaime Escobedo is President and CEO of American Surveillance Company Inc. He says the power and clarity of the new cameras is a vast improvement over the previous analog hardware.

"Mission CISD has a complete field of view 100 percent of the time, with an important digital zoom capability for investigation needs," Escobedo says. "With one Arecont Vision camera, Mission CISD can now cover the same area as six or seven analog cameras used to. The resolution of the video now is so high that you can easily see all the details to help resolve disputes or handle situations both live and after the fact."

Another limitation with the district's analog system was it could not be accessed remotely, and the previous DVRs were not interconnected on a single system. The Milestone network video solution has resolved these issues.

"Milestone Federated Architecture is a critical tool," Flores says. "I can pull up the feed from any campus to see what's happening anytime, or troubleshoot a problem with a camera or a server - all from one convenient location."

The integrated map features lets Flores quickly toggle between different security points. In addition, he has Milestone Mobile activated on his phone so he can log in remotely.

"Most of the principals have Milestone Mobile on their laptops and have already asked to have it on their phones or iPads for the coming year. They're usually walking around their campus, checking in on different buildings so they want to be able to monitor security wherever they are, whether they're in their office or not," says Flores.

Working with Law Enforcement

Mission CISD covers the Mission, Palmhurst, Alton and McAllen police departments. Milestone allows Mission CISD to work seamlessly with the different police departments to assist them with investigations.

"Sometimes the police will contact us for access to videos for a case they're working on," Flores says. "They give us a date, timeframe and a brief idea of what they're looking for. We can drop the video into their desktop and the files are exported with a viewer. It's that easy."

Featured

  • Empowering and Securing a Mobile Workforce

    What happens when technology lets you work anywhere – but exposes you to security threats everywhere? This is the reality of modern work. No longer tethered to desks, work happens everywhere – in the office, from home, on the road, and in countless locations in between. Read Now

  • TSA Introduces New $45 Fee Option for Travelers Without REAL ID Starting February 1

    The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced today that it will refer all passengers who do not present an acceptable form of ID and still want to fly an option to pay a $45 fee to use a modernized alternative identity verification system, TSA Confirm.ID, to establish identity at security checkpoints beginning on February 1, 2026. Read Now

  • The Evolution of IP Camera Intelligence

    As the 30th anniversary of the IP camera approaches in 2026, it is worth reflecting on how far we have come. The first network camera, launched in 1996, delivered one frame every 17 seconds—not impressive by today’s standards, but groundbreaking at the time. It did something that no analog system could: transmit video over a standard IP network. Read Now

  • From Surveillance to Intelligence

    Years ago, it would have been significantly more expensive to run an analytic like that — requiring a custom-built solution with burdensome infrastructure demands — but modern edge devices have made it accessible to everyone. It also saves time, which is a critical factor if a missing child is involved. Video compression technology has played a critical role as well. Over the years, significant advancements have been made in video coding standards — including H.263, MPEG formats, and H.264—alongside compression optimization technologies developed by IP video manufacturers to improve efficiency without sacrificing quality. The open-source AV1 codec developed by the Alliance for Open Media—a consortium including Google, Netflix, Microsoft, Amazon and others — is already the preferred decoder for cloud-based applications, and is quickly becoming the standard for video compression of all types. Read Now

  • Cost: Reactive vs. Proactive Security

    Security breaches often happen despite the availability of tools to prevent them. To combat this problem, the industry is shifting from reactive correction to proactive protection. This article will examine why so many security leaders have realized they must “lead before the breach” – not after. Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden Door Controls has relaunched its CV-7600 card readers in response to growing market demand for a more secure alternative to standard proximity credentials that can be easily cloned. CV-7600 readers support MIFARE DESFire EV1 & EV2 encryption technology credentials, making them virtually clone-proof and highly secure.

  • 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.

  • Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

    Connect ONE®

    Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.