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Law Enforcement
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Colorado town protects new rec center with IP surveillance
Nov 12, 2007
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by By James Careless
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Vandalism and violence are ever-present threats for public facilities. So when the Town of Parker, CO, decided to build a new 100,000-square-foot recreation center housing two regulation basketball/volleyball courts, an inline hockey rink, and an artificial turf field (among other facilities), it wanted its investment protected by video surveillance.
"The problem is that we didn't have the budget or time to turn this project over to an outside CCTV installer," said Terry Denison, systems analyst for Parker. "So we built it ourselves and saved money by installing IP-based network cameras."
Although the town opted to do its own installation, it wasn't alone on this project. Parker turned to CDW Government, a supplier of IT equipment and expertise, which looked over the needs of the Fieldhouse installation, including 12 public doorways that require coverage, plus interior spaces and parking lots. CDW recommended that the town use IP cameras from Axis Communications.
The Appeal Of IP
In contrast to conventional CCTV video cameras, IP-based cameras encode the video captured by their CCDs into IP data, capable of being transported down any computer LAN, or even being sent worldwide over the Web. This means that they don't require an independent network although the Town of Parker has installed one for its Fieldhouse surveillance system to ensure signal delivery and that the video they produce can be opened in a Web browser window by anyone with proper authorization. In Parker, this includes local police officers, who can tap into the Fieldhouse feeds whenever they need do.
"Compared to CCTV, IPTV is so nice and flexible to work with," said Denison. "It also works with off-the-shelf IT equipment, which saves money and makes for easier upgrades down the line."
To provide coverage of the Fieldhouse's vital areas, the Town of Parker has installed 24 IPTV cameras. Six of these are located outside on telephone/lighting poles. The other 18 are mounted inside by doors, hallways, and high-traffic areas.
The inside cameras are generally Axis 221 network cameras. The low-profile camera fits on a standard CCTV camera mount, and provides color images during the day and black-and-white images at night.
Although the Town of Parker is running the 221s at 2-8 fps, the camera can shoot up to 45 fps in VGA resolution (640x480 pixels). Its on-board video codec can produce M-JPEG and MPEG-4 video streams simultaneously. Plus, the 221 also has a built-in motion detector, allowing the camera only to shoot images that require human attention when something moves in its field of view.
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| The Town of Parker's new recreation center has a 24-camera surveillance system with units located both inside and outside. |
In a few vulnerable areas such as the inline hockey rink hallway where people have hockey sticks in their hands, Denison has opted to install Axis 216FD-V vandal-proof cameras. Housed inside a ceiling-mounted tinted dome, the 216FD-V can be powered by its Ethernet connection, making installation fast and easy. It shoots up to 30 frames per second in VGA resolution and also comes with motion detection. "We wanted equipment that was discreet, capable, and tough enough to stand up to being hit," said Denison. "The 216 fit the bill."
Outside, the Town of Parker has opted for a mix of Sanyo and Panasonic cameras. These are housed in heated, vented Pelco weatherproof enclosures, both for protection against the elements and people.
"It can get pretty cold here in winter and very hot in summer," Denison observed. "We wanted our outdoor cameras well protected so they will last a long time."
Unlike the Axis cameras, these units are not IP-enabled. No problem: The feeds are passed into Axis IP video codecs, then sent to the Fieldhouse's video server. In fact, all surveillance video is carried over a dedicated LAN built on the Fieldhouse property. "We didn't want there to be any issues of signal delay caused by other people on the network," Denison explained, "so we decided to build a separate LAN for our surveillance system."
All of the Fieldhouse's video signals are fed into an Axis video server, which prioritizes and sends the 24 signals in a 16-window feed that's displayed on a large LCD monitor at the Fieldhouse's front desk. The users can switch between feeds as they see fit, while cameras that detect motion will set off alarms to catch the user's attention.
"We only have two to three people at the desk at any given time, so this system allows them to maintain constant surveillance while tending to their other duties," said Denison. "It's a cost effective way to provide security for the public, our staff, and our facilities."
Video displayed on the Axis system is also stored in the server for two weeks before being erased. Thanks to the system's intelligent design, only video from active cameras gets recorded; there's no endless sequences of empty rooms. "The video is stored as MPEG-4 files," Denison added. "It can be called up at the front desk, remotely by the police, or recorded onto DVDs for use in court."
Quick Installation
The Town of Parker's IT staff didn't intend to become video equipment installers, but events required them to learn the trade on the job. Fortunately, the Axis network cameras were easy to install, especially the 216s, which only required Ethernet cabling to make them function. It also helped that standard Cat 5 cabling was sufficient -- there was no need to run special video wiring and deal with more complicated end connectors.
According to Denison, they completed the job last May in just seven days. ""The Fieldhouse was due to open in June, so we were under the gun to get the system working. Thankfully, the installation went very smoothly!"
Today, the Parker Fieldhouse's video surveillance system is in constant use, as staff monitor the thousands of citizens who use the facility every day. According to Denison, the system has proven its worth.
"It makes it possible for a few staff members to keep a close eye on our property," he explained. "And everyone seems to like it: We've had nothing but good comments from the public and staff. In fact, we give tours of our facility to recreational staff from other cities, and it seems fair to say that some are jealous of what they see here."
As for dealing with crime? "We had an accident two months ago where a patron drove into a parked car owned by one of our employees," Denison said. "Our video coverage gave us an eyewitness record of what happened, and is being used by police in their investigation.
"All told, choosing an IPTV surveillance system has proven to be a good choice for the Town of Parker. It allows us to keep our property and the public safe at a price we can afford."
MORE INFO
Axis Communications axis.com
CDW-Government cdwg.com
Panasonic panasonic.com
Pelco pelco.com
Sanyo sanyosecurity.com
Town of Parker parkeronline.com
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