Taking a byte out of crime

Jan 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Lynnette Luna

Thanks to a combination of mesh networks with fat data pipes, cost-effective video cameras capable of transmitting over IP networks and smart-camera technology, wireless video surveillance systems are changing the way governments protect their citizens and assets.

Moreover, the advent of wireless wide area networks in nearly every major U.S. city and mesh technology deployments in the 4.9 GHz band reserved for public safety mean more wireless video cameras are being used and are quickly making a dramatic impact on both crime and the use of police resources.

Indeed, jurisdictions around the country are reporting dramatic results from video surveillance made possible by wireless mesh systems. The throughput in mesh networks is rapidly increasing to enable real-time surveillance capabilities with quality good enough to identify license plates. At the same time, government entities are finding deployments justifiable.

“We're seeing a lot of police departments that can't hire staff fast enough or the community is growing too fast,” said Ksenia Coffman, marketing manager for Firetide. “Instead of deploying 30 officers, now two officers can monitor 30 cameras. There is a force-multiplier effect.”

In one of the most crime-ridden neighborhoods of Dallas, a wireless video mesh project — made possible by cooperation among community churches, businesses and the police department — could prove to be a viable model that reduces crime in some of America's most troublesome areas.

The 62-block area that constitutes the Jubilee Park community in south Dallas has a history of poverty, violence and drugs. For instance, a nightclub that had been a hotbed for drug activity sat across the street from a kindergarten. Within the past year, 80% of residents reported being victimized, and according to Dallas police records, the area saw one homicide, two rapes, 13 assaults and 26 burglaries in 2006.

But on Sept. 13, 2007, the statistics began to change for the better. That's when Dallas law enforcement began launching 14 remote-controlled, IP-based Sony cameras mounted on poles at intersections to provide 24-hour real-time surveillance of the area via a wireless mesh system built by system integrator BearCom and mesh infrastructure provider Firetide. Unlike a similar installation in downtown Dallas earlier in the year, this project came as a result of collaboration between the Dallas Police Department, which manages the system, and the Jubilee Park and Community Center (JPCC), a non-profit organization driving community redevelopment efforts.

“We've seen incredible results already,” said Tom Harbison, chair of the JPCC's Anti-Crime Task Force. “Crime incidents went down 10%. We're doing better than the city of Dallas itself.” In less than three months, the statistics are impressive: Officers had been dispatched 119 times as a result of footage captured by the camera system, resulting in 55 arrests. Of these, about 25% were narcotics-related.

Dallas police officers at City Hall monitor the live video feeds, but the community was responsible for the construction of the mesh network and installation of the video cameras. One-third of the $250,000 cost was covered by the South Dallas Development Fund, created years ago to improve commerce in the area, while the other two-thirds came from private donations, primarily via churches, raised by JPCC.

Dallas-area churches, in fact, have played a large role in the success of the surveillance system. Not only were they willing to put up the funds, but they also helped create the Jubilee Park Neighborhood Association and facilitated spreading the word to alleged and suspected criminals that cameras were going up.

“We went to the churches,” Harbison said. “Even bad guys go to church. We were very open about what we were doing and raising money. We told them where the cameras were going. Everyone knew where the bad spots were around the perimeter so they applauded this idea. It's sad when you go to church, and it has an iron gate around it.”