A View of Liberty

Jul 1, 2007 12:00 PM

She stands on a 13-point star in the middle of New York harbor. A beacon of freedom, the Statue of Liberty is the quintessential symbol of America. On a clear day, the most famous of landmarks is easily within gazing distance: Manhattan and the Brooklyn Bridge straight ahead; Staten Island to her south, and to her north, the George Washington and Tapanzee Bridges.

Of course, every day is not clear on the Hudson River. But the need to protect one of the country's most-treasured landmarks and its surrounding area does not yield to fog or dark of night. To deliver an added video security component — providing clear views at night or under less-than-ideal viewing conditions — the U.S. Park Police has installed Esprit Ti, Pelco's integrated thermal imaging positioning system.

Located on the north and south sides of the statue, these systems deliver continuous perimeter video security, regardless of lighting conditions. Esprit Ti provides a high level of threat protection through fog or rain, smoke or total darkness. The system uses thermal imaging technology that was previously the domain of military applications.

Thermal imaging provides video based on an object's emissivity — the amount of thermal energy it gives off — making Esprit Ti deployable and trusted to deliver detailed images in any lighting condition. Esprit Ti combines an advanced thermal imaging camera system with a positioning system.

According to Lt. Charles Guddemi of the U.S. Park Police, responsible for security at Liberty Island, “[The system] gives us complete situational awareness of the island and harbor areas. Because of the thermal imaging technology, contrasts in objects are much easier to see at far greater distances than even with lowlight camera systems.”

Along with the Esprit Ti Systems deployed on the statue, the U.S. Park Police also uses a full complement of Pelco video security systems to enable surveillance of the entire island, including inner passages of the statue, ferry docks, visitor centers, refreshment pavilions and the island's surrounding waters. Spectra III Dome Positioning Systems, Esprit Integrated Positioning Systems and other fixed cameras provide this presence for law enforcement and crowd control.

“Pelco systems have been deployed on Liberty Island since 1999 and they are a big part of our security plan,” Lt. Guddemi says. He anticipates migrating to the recently released Spectra IV SE Dome Systems, with features such as a 35x optical zoom lens, electronic image stabilization and enhanced wide dynamic range.

This article was written by Carey D. Schok, managing editor of the Pelco Press, and is reprinted with permission.

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© 2008 Penton Media Inc.

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