Live video streaming in today’s world is becoming increasingly widespread. From residents going “live” on social media to the availability of public cameras, the presence of video is growing exponentially across cities. For public safety agencies, this equates to a multitude of video feeds from many disparate video sources (in fact, a major city manager could potentially manage as many as 32,000* video feeds). This can be overwhelming without a solution to help quickly access the right camera when needed, such as CommandCentral Aware from Motorola Solutions. But when an operator or responder can see and hear the situation at the right time, it can be a game-changer for public safety.
Here are three ways that public safety agencies are securely connecting to their community partner’s cameras such as businesses, schools, places of worship as well as other government partners.
1. Directly connect cameras from local businesses (public-private partnership)
Agencies form partnerships with businesses and organizations that offer real-time video sharing in order to address crime and foster safety in their communities. For example, the Glendale Police Department has a close partnership with the locally headquartered gas station chain Circle K. In the City of Detroit, their program called the Green Light Project reduced violent crime at partner locations by 40 percent.
A major challenge in these partnerships is easily connecting different types of cameras to a public safety command center, without the business needing to replace their existing equipment. Often, agencies utilize a connector device such as the Motorola Solutions edge appliance, which is inexpensive and simple to install. These video feeds are then accessible in an agency’s command center or other real-time intelligence operation such as a Real-Time Crime Center (RTCC) using CommandCentral Aware.
2. Connect public access camera feeds
Another opportunity for agencies to expand their video footprint is connecting to existing public video surveillance cameras, such as traffic, beach or park cameras. While these IP camera feeds are already able to be viewed publicly, they can only be viewed in siloed sources; this is not ideal for public safety to quickly respond to high risk incidents.
Agencies using CommandCentral Aware are able to enter the camera IP address of public cameras to view, control and organize the camera feeds within an operational view alongside crucial public safety information such as 9-1-1 calls, Computer Aided Dispatch incidents, and more.
3. Integrate agency and partner-owned video management systems
Agencies may also integrate a partner’s video management systems into their command center or RTCC. Video management system (VMS) integration can be effective in managing a significant number of cameras, for example, at a stadium or large school. Depending on the system, VMS integration can also enable enhanced connection capabilities such as pan, tilt and zoom (PTZ) controls and video analytic alerts to improve public safety threat detection. However, VMS integration often entails coordination from both the agency and private (or other public) entities involved.
Public safety agencies using CommandCentral Aware are able to easily request access to major VMS providers including Avigilon Alta and Unity and connect these VMS through a streamlined cloud-based provisioning process. Video providers can enable video streaming and publish live updates as alerts to CommandCentral Aware through the Motorola Solutions command center technology partner program.
The challenges for public safety agencies to access disparate video sources is significant; however, by connecting cameras with these three methods, agencies can see a wider and clearer view of their communities.
Learn more about CommandCentral Aware.
