The scalable and reliable police surveillance system that operates 24 hours a day in Nassau County demonstrates the effectiveness of integrating systems to reduce and combat violent acts.
By Milestone Systems*
The integration of Milestone Systems' open platform IP video management software (VMS) with The Hawkeye Effect's ShotSpotter shot detection system and digital mapping makes it easy for law enforcement to automatically detect shots, locate and report as well as video verification.
This unified system employs ShotSpotter's sensors to locate shots in the coverage area of surveillance cameras, and The HawkEye Effect's technology to triangulate sensors, map the location, direct cameras to the location, and notify initial response agencies while recording footage on video. The HawkEye Effect correlates the location of a shot and sends the information to Milestone XProtect, which controls the cameras' sweep, tilt or zoom (PTZ) functions.
The system not only detects gunshots, it also distinguishes between fireworks or the detonation of the vehicle's engine. In 10 seconds it locates the shot, automatically graphs the incident on a map, directs surveillance cameras and identifies possible escape points, records the incident and notifies law enforcement personnel. Information retrieved from the camera and location is processed through Milestone XProtect, and is available to present as evidence during the court process and to bring legal action.
First experience
The Nassau County Police Department, in order to combat criminal activities perpetrated with firearms and reduce the violence caused by them in the Roosevelt-Uniondale area of New York, wanted to take advantage of milestone XProtect's® videogilgilist solution, as well as its open platform technology, to take a step forward in improving security, also seeking to help quickly resolve cases where this type of weapon is involved. The department concentrated on improving the functions of the cameras it had installed on the streets.
This area of Nassau County had a high number of shootings, reported and not reported to police. The authorities were convinced that it would be immensely beneficial for the community to use a new system, with low start-up and monitoring costs, that would track gunshots, provide evidence and allow the prosecution of criminals. How could the police department take advantage of video surveillance camera video to obtain information that would allow for real-time response to incidents?
"The key was to expand the functionality of the Milestone system that we already had implemented with an integrated ShotSpotter solution. The HawkEye Effect solution was also seamlessly integrated with Milestone and we now have scalable, reliable 24-hour policing for a safer county," said Detective Lt. Ken Strigaro of the Nassau County Police Department.
EIA Inc., one of Milestone's distribution partners, designed and installed the system to fit the Nassau County Police Department's need for automatic gunshot detection, location, reporting and video verification features. The flexibility of Milestone XProtect® Corporate's video management software automatically adjusts video recording rates to the maximum number of frames per second in order to capture incidents in as much detail as possible.
"By integrating the mapping into the Milestone XProtect® Smart Client, we can almost immediately direct police surveillance toward a target through the intuitive interface," said Jeff Blair, CEO of The HawkEye Effect. "Nassau County employs The HawkEye's mapping technology, but all interaction with the cameras is handled through Milestone's platform."
ShotSpotter employs a set of sensors located along the area to be monitored. The software triangulates the location of the shot as a GPS coordinate and provides the address of the nearest street. The HawkEye Effect translates this information and creates a series of polygons in the area where the shot occurred. Polygon plots relate either to the preconfigured position of a camera in Milestone XProtect or to an area that cannot be directly observed by the camera, but which can be an escape point from the area where the shooting occurred.
If the coordinates of the shot are outside the camera display, the camera is redirected to an area of a main thoroughfare that is close to the shooting site to allow the incident to be viewed when it occurs or to capture someone fleeing the scene. If a victim is injured, authorities can see it on video and report the injury immediately, speeding up response time.
"Without Milestone this system would not have been possible," says David Engel, CEO of EIA Inc. "The HawkEye portal has a link service with Milestone, through the Milestone Software Development Kit (SDK), to achieve an integration that allows communication with video management software, supplying you with different presets to rotate the cameras. We had to carefully map the geography of the area and, using milestone's open program interfaces with HawkEye Effect mapping, create an integration with ShotSpotter that would tell Milestone XProtect which cameras to move and where when a shot was detected."
"It's exceptionally easy to work with Milestone's open platform architecture, as it provides the means, tools and resources that enable additional innovations. As Milestone is constantly expanding, the software provides the keys needed to make the most of the resources customers have already invested in," Blair added. "Milestone makes it easier for partners like us to code our technology directly, allowing end users to benefit from the latest and greatest software and hardware integrations for comprehensive facilities like nassau County."
The ShotSpotter system sends coordinates and categorizes information about the type of bullet and the number of shots fired. When a gunshot is detected, emergency line operators receive on the screen a video in a pop-up window, which contains this very important information. At the same time, a copy of the information is sent to The HawkEye Gateway portal to establish the location, coordinating the camera visualizations through Milestone XProtect.
Gregg Rowland, executive vice president of ShotSpotter, said: "Any information, whether it's longitude, latitude or time, can be used, in this case with Milestone XProtect, programming exactly what is needed. The cameras are georeferenced by The HawkEye Effect, so that if a shooting is announced to have occurred in a certain corner and the camera is asked to be sent closest to that location, the PTZ functions align directly with the point where the event occurred and rotate every two cameras towards escape routes. There's a lot of creativity in what we do with data."
The flexibility of Milestone's open platform allows customers to select a wide variety of applications developed by members of the Milestone Solution Partner Program to meet the varied and changing needs of the market. These solutions integrate video management with video analysis to count vehicles or people, with laser scanners for single perimeter control, with access control or with HVAC systems and radio frequency identification (RFID) technology. The possibilities are limitless with an open platform.
About Milestone Systems
Milestone Systems, a company founded in 1998, is a global leader in the development of open platform IP video management software. Milestone's technology offers robust surveillance that is easy to manage, reliable and has been tested in thousands of customer installations around the world. It supports flexible networked equipment options and integrations with other systems. Milestone's solutions are marketed in more than 100 countries through its partner channels, and help organizations implement video solutions in areas such as: risk management, people and asset protection, process optimization and cost reduction. For more information, visit: www.milestonesys.com
