California College Deploys HD Surveillance System For Campus-Wide Crime Prevention

Avigilon recently announced that Merced College in Merced, Calif. has deployed the Avigilon HD Surveillance System as part of its proactive crime prevention strategy to ensure the general welfare of staff and students on campus. By deploying the Avigilon HD Surveillance System with its advanced management features and superior image clarity, the College is able to leverage existing analog-based cameras to ease the transition from analog to HD performance as budget allows.

“A key differentiator of the Avigilon HD Surveillance System is the fact that it enables us to zoom in to examine specific details of an event while it is still recording, a feature we initially thought was too good to be true,” said Deputy Sheriff Wilde of the Merced College Police Department. “The Avigilon HD Surveillance System also delivers a major improvement in image clarity, resulting in more useable footage for greater conflict resolution. Overall, image clarity is one thousand times better than what we had before.”

Security officers at Merced College seamlessly manage the Avigilon HD Surveillance System using Avigilon Control Center NVMS with HD Stream Management. The College installed Avigilon 16 megapixel, 11 megapixel, and 5 megapixel HD cameras to monitor activity across both the Merced and Los Baños campuses, including several parking lots. Merced College also installed Avigilon analog video encoders to dramatically improve the performance of its existing analog cameras, which monitor the interior of several college buildings.

Since deploying the Avigilon HD Surveillance System, Merced College has successfully investigated and resolved numerous cases of crime, vandalism and assault on campus. In one case, they caught a perpetrator in the act of stealing trim off several parked vehicles, leading to a successful conviction. Because of Avigilon’s ease-of-use and powerful management tools, security staff can easily capture and review the detail needed to successfully resolve incidents and ultimately, reduce crime to create a safe and secure campus environment. 

“The need to ensure student safety and campus asset protection has increased dramatically,” said Alexander Fernandes, president and CEO at Avigilon. “By incorporating the Avigilon HD Surveillance System into its crime prevention strategy, Merced College has created a hybrid surveillance solution that cost-effectively helps to ensure campus security and delivers greater peace of mind to staff and students alike.”

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

New Products

  • Camden CM-221 Series Switches

    Camden CM-221 Series Switches

    Camden Door Controls is pleased to announce that, in response to soaring customer demand, it has expanded its range of ValueWave™ no-touch switches to include a narrow (slimline) version with manual override. This override button is designed to provide additional assurance that the request to exit switch will open a door, even if the no-touch sensor fails to operate. This new slimline switch also features a heavy gauge stainless steel faceplate, a red/green illuminated light ring, and is IP65 rated, making it ideal for indoor or outdoor use as part of an automatic door or access control system. ValueWave™ no-touch switches are designed for easy installation and trouble-free service in high traffic applications. In addition to this narrow version, the CM-221 & CM-222 Series switches are available in a range of other models with single and double gang heavy-gauge stainless steel faceplates and include illuminated light rings.

  • Unified VMS

    AxxonSoft introduces version 2.0 of the Axxon One VMS. The new release features integrations with various physical security systems, making Axxon One a unified VMS. Other enhancements include new AI video analytics and intelligent search functions, hardened cybersecurity, usability and performance improvements, and expanded cloud capabilities

  • FEP GameChanger

    FEP GameChanger

    Paige Datacom Solutions Introduces Important and Innovative Cabling Products GameChanger Cable, a proven and patented solution that significantly exceeds the reach of traditional category cable will now have a FEP/FEP construction.