 |
|
Trash receptacles on city
streets, in mass transit stations and in business lobbies could be bomb
receptacles. There are still no bomb resistant standards. Photo courtesy of
American Innovations, Inc.
|
|
I get on and off at the Logan Square
train stop on the way to and from work every day. At that station, in the mornings, I’ve
already read two or three newspapers. There’s a recycle newspapers box there
where I shove in the papers. But the box will soon disappear because of two
reasons: one, the fear that someone, a terrorist, a nut, a disgruntled
employee, could shove a bomb in the box or in a trash receptacle; reason two,
there’s grant money to convert and reinforce receptacles.
I’ll leave it up to you to decide which
reason is really number one.
Bad Break
|
|
|
Video networking continues to grow. Driven by IT advances,
better imaging, the need for mobility and other business concerns, NVRs will
overcome DVRs faster than DVRs overtook VCRs.
|
|
A Texas city, located in Denton County, recently purchased bomb resistant trash receptacles as part of its
proactive homeland security initiative, funded by the United States Department
of Homeland Security. Deployment locations and explosive protective ratings for
the referenced bomb receptacles will not be disclosed for security reasons and
are protected by a contract clause preventing American Innovations, Inc.,
supplier of the city’s bomb receptacles, from publicizing or disclosing the
sensitive but unclassified information.
Testing was coordinated by the City of Denton
Fire Department Bomb Squad and directed by its Fire
Marshall/Bomb Squad Commander Rick Jones. A pipe bomb test was conducted to
verify primary bomb fragmentation containment and a high explosives test
followed to verify the trash receptacle's ability to withstand a high velocity
explosion without creating secondary fragmentation. Both tests were conducted
in the same trash receptacle and the outer wall was not penetrated from either
test.
 |
|
In preparation for Super Bowl festivities, officers from the
Miami-Dade Police Department honed their skills on Segway Personal
Transporters. The police agency used six Segway PTs throughout Super Bowl week.
|
|
Far from the Logan Square
station, and earlier last month, the Miami-Dade Police Department used Segway
Personal Transporters (PTs) to provide security services at Super Bowl XLI and
throughout the week preceding the event. Patrol officers found Segway PTs
useful because they stand 8 inches taller on these units, enabling them to have
ideal sight lines over people and automobiles.
If you look up to the ceiling of the
Logan Square station, you’ll spy at least five security cameras as Chicago and
its mass transit system transitions from analog to networked video. It’s a
nationwide trend.
The Zalud Report just read a market study
from IMS Research that has found the trend from analog security video to
network video surveillance is in full swing. The world market for network video
surveillance products increased by an impressive 41.9% in 2006 and is forecast
to continue growing strongly for many years to come. By 2010, the combined
market for network cameras, video servers and NVRs is forecast to exceed $2.6
billion.
Research Director Simon Harris commented:
“The market has the potential to grow even faster than this. Even at this
impressive growth rate, network cameras will still account for only one-third
of the security cameras shipped in 2010. The security industry is notoriously
resistant to change and new technologies generally take a while to gain
acceptance.
Bomb
resistant trash cars, officers on Segways, more networked and IP security
video. I do feel safer on the Logan Square station. But now someone should invent a high
tech mop to clean up those pools of gosh-knows-what on the station floor.
