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PROJECT
security
Cameras Connect School, Police A video-surveillance system at a Michigan school allows the local police department to remotely monitor activity and be better prepared to respond to emergencies.
W
hen All Saints Catholic School in
police to remotely unlock/lock school doors, further
Canton, MI, fi rst opened its doors in
aiding school staff and the first responders in the event
1997, it was a model of then-current
of a lockdown situation. Regardless of the type of inci-
practices regarding school design and teaching. The
dent, the immediate visual information provided by the
administrative office was located in the center of the
cameras is critical in determining a course of action and
school and teaching followed the “cells and bells”
providing a more immediate response.
format. Fire drills and supervised playgrounds and hallways were standard school-safety measures.
department was on board with the plan from the be-
Over the years, as school-safety designs and practic-
ginning. “We absolutely said we’d be willing. Any-
es have evolved, so too has the environment at All
thing that will increase the safety of a school or chil-
Saints, a pre-kindergarten through 8th grade elementa-
dren we are willing to participate in.”
ry school. Exterior entrance/exit doors are locked
The Samsung IP video-surveillance cameras de-
during and after school hours; access-control systems
ployed at the school include a mix of pan/tilt/zoom
have been installed to help manage school security; and
(PTZ) dome cameras, standard PTZ cameras, and out-
badging systems identify school visitors. The central lo-
door fixed cameras. Video from the cameras is record-
cation of the administrative office, however, was not
ed on site with a 16-channel Samsung NVR and is
something that could be changed, making it difficult to
transmitted through a dedicated Verizon 4G connec-
keep the school’s safety and security measures updated.
tion to the police station. Having as much informa-
Visitors had to be physically granted access and escorted
tion as possible ahead of time makes law enforcement
through the halls to their destination. In the event of an
and first responders better prepared when they arrive
incident or emergency situation, it took long minutes to
on site. The capability for on-site monitoring by school
alert the office and additional time to notify staff
administrators also helps prevent vandalism and theft.
through the PA system.
All Saints Catholic School visitors are monitored by this camera, located just inside the entrance.
According to deputy chief Scott Hilden, the police
Based on the success of the system at All Saints Cath-
To remedy the situation, school administrators met
olic School, Camtronics president Mark Wellman has
with representatives from the local community, service
received several inquiries from other schools looking to
providers, and law enforcement. The outcome was a plan
improve the security of their facilities. “Schools always
that involved all parties and applied security technology
have to keep reviewing. There’s no finish line when it
in an innovative way to make the school safer and more
comes to keeping schools safe,” said Wellman. CBP
secure while maintaining a welcoming environment. Any activity outside of the building is monitored by this camera and the signal fed to the Canton police department.
QUICK RESPONSE
The system, installed by local integrator Camtronics Communication Co., Detroit, features 16 Samsung (Samsung Techwin America, Ridgefield Park, NJ) video-surveillance cameras and a number of emergency pull stations and duress buttons, all of which are directly connected to the Canton police station. If an alarm is activated at the school, police can immediately view the scene from the Samsung video-surveillance cameras. Based on the visual information, authorities can quickly determine a course of action, including sounding audible alerts with different tones and patterns to indicate specific circumstances and associated responses. For example, a certain tone will indicate that police are on site while another tone may be the signal for occupants to go to a pre-arranged safe spot. The system also enables
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COMMERCI A L BUIL DING P RODUC T S
MARCH 2014
www.cbpmagazine.com
DATA CACHE Want more information? The resources below are linked in our digital magazine at cbpmagazine.com/digital/mar2014.
Circle 17 on the Reader Service Card. Learn more about Samsung cameras at their website: https://www.samsung-security.com/en/products/ security-cameras.aspx The Samsung education solutions web page includes a camera-selection tool: https://www.samsung-security.com/solutions/education.aspx Participate in Samsung training courses: https://www.samsung-security.com/Training.aspx To learn more about services offered by Camtronics, visit their website: http://camsecure.com/
