SecurityInfoWatch.com Blogs

If you follow the market of video surveillance cameras deployed as part of municipal surveillance projects, then you may have heard that large systems integrator Unisys has landed an $8.9 million project with Philadelphia to add 250 cameras to what was a decent-sized surveillance project already. This follows not far after Chicago’s announcement of plans to expand its municipal surveillance project, and if there’s one major trend in our indusry, this is probably it.Coincidentally, I was on the phone this week with a producer for a Los Angeles radio station who was seeking me to be part of a debate about surveillance camera deployments. The idea for the debate, she said, came from the film “LOOK” by Adam Rifkin, which is a movie shot entirely from the angle of surveillance cameras. The interesting thing about our industry is that we are perceived as people who want to put cameras everywhere.“I thought you could take one side and our other panelist (an anti-surveillance voice) could take the other,” she said. “What side exactly do you perceive me to be on?,” I asked. She replied, “I think your side, correct me if I’m wrong, is that we need surveillance everywhere and that everything should be watched and everyone should be monitored and that there should be no privacy concerns.”

I had to tell her that kind of “side” wasn’t precisely my position, and I proceeded to explain to her that I’d be more interested in discussing things like return on investment and in what cases I thought cameras were applicable and when they are not, and I would explain that privacy is something everyone considers — even those who install surveillance cameras. “Cameras can be a useful tool when their are certain needs,” I explained, “but I’m not going to say they are right for every situation.” That gave her pause. “Well maybe we need some sort of right-wing nut who would say that.” I reiterated that you wouldn’t classify me as a right-wing nut, and that in any discussion of technology implementation, I would have to take an educated and moderate standpoint on the issue.

Well, apparently they have found a right-wing nut, she tells me today, so I’ll just be a listener. The radio station is KCRW and the show is “The Politics of Culture,” and yes, in today’s “.com” age, you’ll be able to find that broadcast on the web shortly afterwards. With any luck it won’t just be a civil libertarian vs. a “right-wing nut”, but might just delve into real issues that city populations should consider when assessing municipal security deployments, but I’m not holding my breath. Frankly, as someone who offers his words as a voice for our industry, I’m wary of the perception that we are all camera-crazy nuts, when I know that privacy is an issue that we all wrestle with daily, whether it’s with zone masking on cameras or concerning yourself with protecting the identities and lives of your employees.

–Geoff

The Bulletin, “Philadelphia’s Family Newspaper”, reported today (follow this link but be prepared for a slow page load) that Philadelphia has OKed $8.9 million for 250 video surveillance cameras. That works out to around $35,600 per camera on this system. Now, obviously cameras don’t cost more than $35K each, and Philly didn’t order any gold-plated PTZ enclosures, so I believe this includes things like the video management system, monitors, control center technologies, video storage devices, wireless transmitters,  cable routing, technician labor, etc. That makes the pricing seem much more reasonable.

Nonetheless, it’s still a sizable check to write, and even as someone who covers this industry, I sometimes have to ask myself, what else could you do with $8.9 million? To be honest, when you throw out a number like that, we at least owe it to ourselves to ask questions like: could we have used that money on drug abuse prevention, criminal rehabilitation, and things that might have prevented crimes? And can those expenditures on prevention programs show more return on investment than cameras on the streets?

Aha, but that’s the clincher: the departments who run those social services crime prevention programs don’t have $8.9M sitting around unaccounted for and possibly matched with homeland security money. And it’s probably easier to put out cameras and simply identify “crime or not?” using a 30x pan-tilt-zoom than to figure out and prevent the root problems of vandalism, crime and terrorism. As we know, it’s easier to lock someone up for a crime than to teach them to do better.

There’s really not a point to this and I don’t think I have the best opinion on which is a better option — spending money on prevention vs. spending money on security technologies. It just is what it is…a curious thought about security and ROI.

–Geoff

 

A lot of people don’t understand the security industry and that may be a good thing.

Remember the 80s when mass-marketed systems first hit the streets with free equipment and installation? Kind of ruined the good thing many dealers had going and certainly changed the course of the industry.  Or,  around the same time frame or later when outside investors from industries– names the likes of the car rental czar (you know who I mean) snatched up some of the finest alarm companies from our ranks?

Then, and now, a security dealer and integrator knows how to reinvent themselves and their companies.

In the above examples there were truly inventive security dealers and integrators who knew exactly what to do. Faced with harsh competition from mass marketers, they set their sights on providing a professional turnkey solution that included sales, service, maintenance and training, offering top in its class installations. Many wisely decided not to compete with mass-marketed alarms and refused to cut their prices. They focused not on a bare-bones system but a custom one with convenience factors and other functions such as lighting and automation built in. Masters of their own domain, security dealers and integrators who want to succeed know that today the biggest competition they face is not knowing enough about remote technologies, computers and Internet protocols and networking. And they’re doing something about it.

The sec urity business isn’t for everyone.  It’s for dealers and integrators who want to continue to improve their companies, provide the best professional service and do all they can to make a name for themselves in the industry.

What do you think? How have you responded to the downturn in residential construction? Have you found some profitable vertical markets and how have you made them work for you? I’d love to hear from you. E-mail me at domara@cygnussecurity.com. Deborah O’Mara, editor, Security Dealer magazine

 

People look at you a bit odd when you take photos of everyday things that happen to be security related, but I wanted to show to our American readers some signage that I liked from a recent trip to Europe for a media conference.

First, there’s this simple green and white sign that perplexed me at first because of a few things:

1) It’s not a sign for the jogging path or the Stockholm Marathon, though it does depict a man running. I was intrigued by the depiction of running, since we condition everyone here in the U.S. to “file out in an orderly fashion.” Well, the point is clear, if you need to escape go here and do it fast as h-e-double-hockeysticks.

2) I was also intrigued by the amount of information this sign carries. It lets you know that this is the escape route, that you’ll need to go downstairs, and there you’ll find an exit door. That’s a far cry from our simple “EXIT” signs, though I think they’re plenty effective.

3) I noticed that it was not an illuminated sign, which makes me wonder whether it would even be visible in the case of a fire incident.

 

OK, then there’s this, from a bank in the city center of Copenhagen.

I like the imagery…no motorcycle helmets (motorized scooters are very common in the town, probably due to the limited parking) and they also convey the fact that the safes are time-locked. However, in the case of this bank, the best security feature may be that you can hardly find anyone to talk to when you go in, so the would-be robbers might just get frustrated after taking a number and instead go try hitting up one of the city’s many money-exchange shops (which are very well protected, actually).

–Geoff

Photos from the cameras of the Cygnus Security Group (SecurityInfoWatch.com, Security Dealer, Security Technology & Design):

 

StealthWear had this interesting set-up for covert surveillance. Instead of looking “secret service” with a coiled wire going into your ear, you can do surveillance and operations and still look like any other guy walking around with a bluetooth headset, chatting mindless while seemingly slurping down a 32 oz. Coke (which is actually your transmitter and push-to-talk controller). Pretty ingenious.

A couple photos from the show floor, in case you were wondering what color the carpet was. Traffic was busy and the seminar rooms were easy to get to from the exhibits. 

Segway is out with a security-specific model. This guy was showing off the capabilities, doing jumps and just all-around having fun demonstrating the strengths of these gyroscopic machines.

Ron Freschi (North American Video) and Vince Galdi (LRG) catch up after a long day on the show floor.

Looks like a visitor’s station, right? They don’t know they’re being tested for chemical residue to indicate the presence of explosives by Red X Defense.

Privaris is developing this unique badgeholder that can convert standard card formats into the new FIPS 201 standard format. It embeds a biometric fingerprint scanner.

Installers and cable pullers, does this make your heart flutter? Exceptionally tidy cable routing courtesy of North American Video for a casino project they’re working on.

NASCO presented its awards on Tuesday morning. In the center wearing a blue shirt is Tim, an officer with U.S. Security Associates who managed to save the life of an employee at a U.S. Steel facility when a drastic accident occurred. I know there’s a push to replace officers with technologies in some businesses, but can your cameras climb out onto a steel frame nine stories in the air and apply first aid to a man who’s dying?

John Petze shows how easy it is to enroll into Privaris PlusID multi-format biometric fob.

Frank Dale, manager of physical security for Loyola University (and ST&D cover model), was on hand to accept the ST&D magazine 2007 Innovation Award. Pictured also are Paul Rothman (managing editor, center) and Steve Lasky (publisher/editor-in-chief, right).

The Loyola University/IQinVision team on hand to accept the Innovation Award.

Eli Gorovici (left), president and CEO of DVTel, receives his ST&D Innovation Award from the ST&D team.

HSM (now part of Stanley) always does unique booths. This time they went with a James Bond theme; after all, what security guy can say no to a girl with a gun?

Your very own blogger shares a laugh with North American Video’s Cyndi Freschi while checking out the integrator’s Las Vegas facility.

Now this is why I love the ASIS show — because you can see the highest of high-tech integrated security systems that can take 2 hours to understand half the features and integration possibilities, and then you can walk a couple aisles away and see an exhibit of some darn good flashlights that have one feature: They point light into dark places. And both the high-tech and the low-tech are equally vital to security.

New editor of Security Dealer, Deborah O’Mara (left), catches up with DMP’s Melissa Pitfield.

New GE Security President Dean Seavers gives an overview to the press about GE Security’s direction in the marketplace.

A stunning video display for comamnd control centers; I think this one came from Hitachi.

Bioscrypt’s PIV-station is designed to meet the needs of FIPS 201-compliant PIN, card and biometric stations.

Ok, if the technology eye-candy wasn’t enough for you, then you should have gone by Aventura Technologies’ booth. While you were there, we hope you paid attention to the H.264 codec DVRs.

 

–Geoff