A New Level of Calm

May 1, 2007 12:00 PM

The Rockford Housing Authority (RHA), the third-largest public housing authority in Illinois, provides safe, sanitary and affordable housing assistance for citizens of Rockford, Ill. With 15 properties including 2,100 housing units, RHA is also the largest renter of housing in Rockford. Public housing developments face unique challenges to creating a secure, attractive environment, and RHA was no exception.

In the past, residents of RHA developments were witness to loitering strangers, drug sales, public drinking and other offensive behavior. The majority of individuals engaged in these activities were not residents. In fact, 75 percent of arrests made in Rockford's public housing developments were people from outside the community. To disrupt and discourage illegal and undesirable activities, RHA employed a multi-pronged approach to improving neighborhood safety. RHA property managers worked closely with the Rockford Police Department, who dispatched officers to the various RHA properties. Neighborhood Watch committees were formed, and neighborhood councils met regularly to discuss safety issues.

“These tactics were effective, but we wanted to add another layer of security to our properties to eable us to gain more visibility throughout our communities,” says Lewis Jordan, director of the Rockford Housing Authority (RHA). “With some research, it became apparent that security cameras could add a powerful new dimension to our security efforts by providing cost-effective coverage of more areas.”

To gather more information about security monitoring, Jordan met with members of the Chicago Police Department, other law enforcement personnel and technology solution providers. After evaluating several approaches, RHA chose a solution from Montel Technologies, Peoria, Ill., a provider of wired and wireless networking solutions for voice, video, data and security applications. The new security monitoring system is based on IP video cameras and a wireless mesh network from Firetide Inc., Los Fatos, Calif.

A bulletproof solution

Comprised of Firetide wireless mesh nodes and IP video security cameras from Vicon, Happauge, N.Y., the new monitoring system was deployed in four RHA family developments. The RHA Firetide mesh network wirelessly connects outdoor video surveillance cameras to a central location for live monitoring and recording of video feeds. A digital video recorder in the central location captures video from all of the cameras and enables staff to view any camera from any location over the Internet.

Each camera is installed with a Firetide wireless mesh node housed in a custom-built, bulletproof enclosure and mounted on a light pole. Each enclosure also contains battery backup and enough space for adding a wireless access point in the future, which would permit RHA to deploy wireless Internet access capabilities. External antennas provide effective coverage, while a relay switch enables the cameras to be remotely controlled.

“We added the Rockford Police Department logo and a flashing police light to each installation as an extra deterrent,” says Ray Montelongo, president of Montel Technologies. “The units are extremely rugged, and at 30 frames per second, the quality of the video feeds is excellent.”

Four police cars are also equipped with mobile Firetide mesh nodes, enabling police officers to view live video from any of the 16 cameras from their cars while on patrol. The officer simply drives into the proximity of a mesh node and connects to the mesh network using a laptop.

“It is extremely cost-effective for us,” Jordan says. “The mesh network was easy to install and connects itself automatically, eliminating the high cost associated with lengthy installations. We were able to afford more cameras and, therefore, greater coverage. We deployed the entire network in four developments in a matter of days, for a fraction of the cost of a conventional monitoring system. And with almost no ongoing maintenance required, the solution also delivers a low total cost of ownership.”

The mesh nodes only require a power source and provide an Ethernet port for connecting the video cameras, which eliminates the cost and difficulty of installing cables across four developments. The nodes also can be easily moved, enabling RHA to relocate nodes to new areas if centers of suspicious activity move.

Improved response and greater resident confidence

The Firetide nodes installed in police cruisers are valuable crime-fighting tools for law enforcement officers, allowing them to view video on laptops from their cars. With the ability to see any area at any time, officers are better positioned to respond quickly if necessary and use the element of surprise to their advantage. The monitoring solution supplements police foot and bike patrols, providing them with accurate information and the ability to monitor more places simultaneously.

“Immediately after the cameras were installed, crime and loitering diminished immensely,” Jordan says. “Even having the police light flashing on the camera enclosure has noticeably deterred suspicious activity. Our residents and employees feel safer.”

With the monitoring system installed, residents have gained confidence in reporting crimes or suspicious activity because they know that the activity is likely also to be captured on camera. Sophisticated zoom capabilities, the ability to control the cameras remotely and the high-quality images deliver aid in capturing license plate numbers and other necessary details along with improving police success in apprehending suspects.

Equally important, the monitoring system has improved the perception of public housing, especially to prospective residents. Knowing that cameras are monitored, those who live in or near public housing appreciate the positive impact of a safe environment.

“I do not hear about incidents of offensive behaviors or suspicious activities very often now,” Jordan says. “Before deploying the monitoring system, these incidents were always the focus of our quarterly meetings with residents. Now they remark about the new level of calm in the community.”

Jordan notes that the monitoring system has also helped enhance the neighborhood's “curb appeal” because people who dump garbage, scrawl graffiti or otherwise detract from the neighborhood's appeal can be easily identified and held accountable.

RHA hopes to combine its monitoring resources with the Police Department's efforts to create a centralized monitoring station with trained staff members who can monitor properties and dispatch police to specific locations when needed. Encouraged by RHA's initial success, the city is also considering ways for using the same mesh network to deliver future services to RHA residents.

“Because the wireless infrastructure is already in place, it will be easy and affordable to narrow the ‘digital divide’ for our citizens and to use technology for helping public housing residents move closer to self-sufficiency,” Jordan says.

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© 2012 Penton Media Inc.

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