Helping the Phoenix PD

To help better control and manage its city-wide wireless video surveillance system during Super Bowl XLII, the Phoenix Police Department relied on its best in breed IP video management solution from OnSSI. The OnSSI solution controls and manages over three dozen video surveillance cameras in and around downtown Phoenix providing law enforcement officials with the ability to closely watch over the 200,000 spectators, citizens and dignitaries in town during the weekend of Super Bowl XLII.

The advanced video system installed in Phoenix provides the Police Department with ability to remotely monitor and track activities across the city. Video feeds from almost 40 cameras are transmitted to two police command centers via a wireless mesh from Firetide Inc. The system also includes rapid deployable cameras supplied by IPVision, Inc., a systems integrator headquartered in Tucson, AZ. All the cameras are monitored by specially trained operators using OnSSI’s IP video control and management solution.

“Our video surveillance network has proven effective in our major investigations and now has become a quick security solution for major events,” said Detective Chris Jensen, the technical surveillance systems administrator for the Phoenix Police Department. “It has been very adaptable to many types of law enforcement activities.”

The Phoenix Police Department implemented the advanced video surveillance solution in 2006 to support covert operations during a serial crime spree, and has used it for numerous investigations and event management since, including Super Bowl XLII.

“The distributed architecture of the OnSSI IP video management solution enhanced the Phoenix Police Department’s rapid deployment systems and ability to cover all of the events surrounding the Super Bowl,” said Ben Green, Vice President of Business Development at IPVision. “This provided extreme flexibility as it allowed the OnSSI solution to seamlessly connect to the various systems already deployed, enabling centralized control and monitoring of all operations.”

Video from all cameras is recorded and delivered to users using OnSSI’s IP video management solution. The OnSSI solution enables instant access to video from any camera, which can be routed or automatically pushed on-event to any video wall monitor or networked PC. The system eliminates the need for a matrix switcher and allows full utilization of high resolution IP cameras with digital PTZ on both live and recorded images. OnSSI’s user intuitive touch-screen interface employs dynamic maps for fast and easy navigation allowing efficient monitoring of the entire camera system via one system operator at each location. The system’s ease of operation expedited the training process, effectively reducing manpower and operational costs. In addition, OnSSI’s IP video management solution incorporates video content analytics to detect policy driven situations such as motion in restricted areas, loitering, overcrowding in public places, and more. The system also seamlessly integrates with access control and physical security systems allowing alarms and programmed events to be jointly managed.

“OnSSI is extremely pleased to be working with the Phoenix Police Department and to have played a role in providing security for Super Bowl XLII,” said Mulli Diamant, Vice President of Sales, OnSSI. “The integration of OnSSI’s solution with Firetide’s wireless solution sets a new benchmark for video surveillance systems for law enforcement applications.”