LAPD Deploys Aerial Surveillance Camera

Riggs and Murtaugh can expect a little more help from their friends in the sky next time they’re busting crime in L.A. Cineflex LLC has announced that the Air Support Division of the Los Angeles Police Department has deployed its V14 HiDEF aerial imaging system for the unit’s airborne law enforcement missions. Designed to supply high-quality detailed imaging necessary to support all aspects of their homeland security missions, the camera is able to conduct surveillance missions from much higher altitudes and greater standoff distances than previously possible.

The system can be equipped with an encrypted, digital microwave downlink system that allows ground personnel to view HD images in real-time. Delivered to either a mobile or fixed command center, the solution incorporates automated, GPS-guided antenna tracking to provide virtually uninterrupted live HD feeds with ranges over 100 miles from a helicopter and even further on fixed wing aircraft, UAVs and lighter than air ships that offer higher standoff altitudes.

OSE Talks Convergence at ASIS

The Open Security Exchange (OSE) continued to lead the security industry to new opportunities and market expansion by providing critical perspectives, recommendations, and solutions related to the convergence of physical security with IT at last September’s ASIS International Annual Conference, held in Orlando, Fla.

The conference prominently showcased the theme of convergence of physical security with IT, with more than 40 companies featuring solutions specially tailored for such a union. Meanwhile, members of the OSE and the OSE Convergence Council shared the insights and findings of the exhange throughout the weeklong event.

OSE member companies CoreStreet, GE Infrastructure, Fargo, HID and Software House/Tyco were among those featuring convergence solutions, best practices and strategic partners in their respective exhibit hall booths. Included was information about the federal government’s requirements for smart cards and single, smart IDs for physical and logical access. Also showcased was a variety of technologies to bridge the gap between physical security and logical access control and identity management.

“The OSE compliments the convergence activities of ASIS by translating our best practices into recommendations to the manufacturers,” said ASIS President-Elect Jeff Spivey.

Immediately following retired Gen. Colin Powell’s keynote address on Tuesday, Sept. 13, OSE board advisor, Steve Hunt, president of 4A Intl., presented a seminar entitled, “The Soft Side of Convergence is Hardest of All.” The seminar explained how to overcome inhibitors to success of projects requiring the cooperation of physical security with IT.

Perrysburg Schools Improve Parent Communication

Perrysburg Schools, which serves more than 4,600 students in Perrysburg, Ohio, has selected Minneapolis-based Honeywell’s Instant Alert for Schools to improve parent communication and emergency responsiveness. The Toledo-area district plans to integrate the system into its comprehensive safety plan, giving administrators a reliable and effective way to reach parents with a consistent, clear message.

The Web-based notification service will replace phone trees and enable the district to deliver both emergency and routine messages to parents and guardians within minutes via phone, cell phone, pager, e-mail and PDA. The system is used at more than 250 schools nationwide.

Rainbow on the Road in the Netherlands

Lenses from Rainbow CCTV are being installed by Tyco Integrated Systems (TIS) throughout the Dutch highway network, in an effort to help use special emergency travel lanes to relieve traffic congestion during peak hours. The 10- to100-mm motorized zoom units are being mounted on purpose-built poles, gantries and bridges at highway junctions in areas including Arnhem, Amsterdam, Utrecht, Rotterdam and The Hague.

The lenses are part of pan & tilt assemblies and operate from IP67 housings created by TIS. The units are being used with Bosch LTC0620 cameras while the telemetry controller is Tyco’s own bi-directional TIB interface board.

The company’s client is Rijkswaterstaat, a Dutch national authority with wide ranging responsibilities for infrastructure and civil engineering.

“In common with many highway networks the system in the Netherlands is overcrowded and the highway authority has decided to use the emergency lane as an additional driving lane during rush hours,” said Anton Depenbrock, a project manager with TIS. “The Rainbow lenses are part of comprehensive installations which are used to observe the status of emergency lanes.”

Beantown Cops Honored for Work with Hotel Chain

Two veteran Boston Police detectives were honored at an awards ceremony held Sept. 20, at Boston’s historic Langham Hotel. The International Lodging Safety and Security Association (ILSSA), based in the city, recognized Detective William Dickinson and Detective Margaret Murphy of the Boston Police Department’s Intelligence Unit.

Detectives Dickinson and Murphy were praised for working closely with each of the security directors at the numerous hotels in Boston, and diligently strengthening the public-private partnership between the local police and lodging industry.

“Boston is one of a handful of cities in the United States that can boast a strong working relationship between its hotels and its police department,” said Michael J. Soper, who heads up ILSSA Intel, the association's intelligence-sharing net.