EN- Industry Focuses

Security conversations with George Barlow Brown, IT Manager at the New Orleans Real-Time Crime Center "In 70% of cases, we have been able to provide police officers and detectives with relevant video and information. That's huge considering that it used to take a police officer over an hour to visit business locations, speak with owners, look through video, find what they're looking for, get a copy of the video onto USB keys, drive back to the precinct, and then submit that into evidence." We walked away knowing that we wanted a Genetec VMS. As far as investigations and the ability to mine video and data, it was hands-down the best product out there. And we got that from honest feedback from on-the-ground personnel who use the solution day in and day out. There's just a lot to be said about the conviction from our counterparts, the guys who fight the same fight as us in their own cities, and the message that they delivered about the Genetec VMS. We were adamant about our decision and there were no more questions to ask. We wanted Genetec. Q: How does this new technology investment help the City safeguard the community? A: Since our opening a year ago, we've had 2100 requests for footage from law enforcement. In 70% of cases, we have been able to provide police officers and detectives with relevant video and information. That's huge considering that it used to take a police officer over an hour to visit business locations, speak with owners, look through video, find what they're looking for, get a copy of the video onto USB keys, drive back to the precinct, and then submit that into evidence. By gathering all relevant real-time and investigative video information for them, we've essentially saved them 2000 hours of manual labor, by collecting all of that relevant video for them. That's more time for officers to respond to calls of service and be present in our neighborhoods, which essentially builds community confidence. The ROI is there for us, in terms of the efficiency. Genetec also gives us the ability to leverage a true public-private partnership. Using the Security Center Federation™ feature, we've been able to partner with some local businesses and entities to expand our video coverage of the city. This means there's no longer a need for a police officer to disrupt a business and ask for video footage. They come directly to our team, we do the investigative work on their behalf, and send them the evidence. If it's a real-time emergency, we can pull up video feeds and provide critical details to responding officers, so they're better equipped for what they're walking into. Q: How has the RTTC engaged the community? Any interesting ideas that have come up? A: We've done things a little differently than other cities. We don't have flashing strobe lights installed at participating businesses. This can dissuade higher-end retail locations or restaurants to join. Instead, we ask our private partners to add subtle signage to their front entrance. This tells our on-the-ground officers that the establishment has shared their outdoor cameras with the RTCC, and there's no reason to disturb them or their customers. The officer can call us directly to get the evidence they need. Most of the time we've advised the responding public safety partner that we have relevant video before they even make it to the scene. We've also strongly recommended our private partners to invest in the Genetec Stratocast™ cloud-based video system if they want to participate in our program. It's the most straightforward way to give us access to their cameras. Because we can monitor their system, they've also been able to go back to their business insurance provider and ask for a discount. It's really a winning situation for our team, the business, and the community.

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