Brazil. The Court of Justice of the Federal District and Territories uses a Milestone VMS system, to prevent escapes of the accused during the hearings and identify the possible criminals that roam their building, reducing risks.
Such a security solution was implemented due to the latent dangers of riots and leaks, on the part of the defendants, which the District Court of Justice had already identified, that is, because of an existing need for security.
An important fact in this regard is that the different buildings occupied by this judicial body are used by thousands of Brazilian citizens who use its services, so it is also a place where the identification of criminals and maintain order is necessary, avoiding vandalism and violence.
Scalable video surveillance solution with intelligent video analytics
The Court therefore expanded and updated its existing security infrastructure with a comprehensive solution. Composed of cameras equipped with intelligent video analytics (perimeter protection, loitering and forensic search) from Axis Communications and Bosch, integrated into Milestone Systems' open platform XProtect Expert video management software (VMS ).
This integrated solution facilitates the monitoring, prevention and investigation of incidents. In addition, during eventual emergencies, local police now have direct access to the VMS and cameras.
Effective monitoring and efficiency in security actions
Milestone's open platform VMS was selected because of the wide range of resources it possesses, such as integration with multi-vendor cameras, the other supported devices, technical support, and excellent performance.
Therefore, the new video surveillance system helps security personnel to improve both prevention and optimization of actions in the face of possible situations of escape of accused, as well as insurrections and security in the facilities.
Criminal Justice for the Entire Federal District
It is relevant to understand, in the context of this case, that the Court of Justice of the Federal District and Territories (TJDFT), is a federal body that is part of the Judicial Power of the Union and was founded in April 1960. This institution serves all the municipalities of the Federal District, which translates into a population close to 3 million inhabitants.
The mission of this entity is to provide the community with access to justice and peaceful conflict resolution. This within a conglomerate that brings together forums from the 33 administrative regions that make up the Federal District, including Brasilia. Other buildings are also part of the judicial complex, such as the public warehouse, the central custody area for storing weapons and objects of crime, a museum, medical areas and a commercial area.
Crime Deterrence with Intelligent Video Analytics
So, the TJDFT needed a modern video management system that could integrate the 30 buildings in the federal capital's judicial districts, some of them located in remote areas. In addition, the court needed to monitor all units from a centralized location. It was essential to ensure the safety of people, property and the system itself. Only in the main building circulate around 5000 citizens every month.
"We were facing different incidents like unauthorized access, people with outstanding arrest warrants and thefts," said Igor Martins da Silva, senior project manager at TJDFT. "The ability to visualize images and react instantly, or even before an incident occurs, is a huge advantage in countering these challenges," he said.
The previous surveillance system of the TJDFT consisted of analog cameras connected to independent DVR recorders. The outdated system used outdated equipment and did not provide integration between the different buildings. The solution was to implement a modern system that would cover all the security needs of the court.
The integrator of the initial project was responsible for offering Milestone's platform VMS, because it met the requirements of the TJDFT, as well as offering more freedom of choice among the associated technologies. They also recommended cameras with video analytics from Axis (models M1125, P1435, M3046, P5534-E) and Bosch (models NBE-3502-AL, NDV-3503-F02) because they offered the best visual resources and performance. Now all 30 buildings are monitored both from their unique location, and from a centralized command center.
The implementation of intelligent video analytics has greatly optimized surveillance in courts and other internal areas. According to Martins da Silva, axis and Bosch perimeter, prowling and forensic search analyses are the most commonly used in the TJDFT. With the motion sensor enabled on the cameras and the respective motion filter settings, finding suspicious activity became much faster. If the system detects something unusual in courtrooms, it triggers a "riot" alert so that the police can take the necessary action.
All kinds of crimes are tried in the courts, and there is a risk of escape attempts by the defendants involved in these trials. Intelligent video makes it possible to quickly identify these types of situations and get the police to intervene to prevent an insurrection. The magistrate can also activate a panic button to activate the alarm in the monitoring center.
Similarly, objects left in courtrooms can be identified more efficiently, reducing dangerous situations, such as a bomb hidden in a bag, for example.
Alarms and forensic search
The installation of the Milestone VMS generated significant savings for the TJDFT. Today it is possible to monitor much larger areas with fewer cameras and fewer operators.
In the past, alarms were triggered over the phone, a slow and complicated process that exposed employees and visitors. With the new system, it is possible to include analytics integrated with the panic buttons of the courtroom. These can be activated immediately through the VMS in an agile and simple way for a faster response in cases of incidents.
Each TJDFT building has its own monitoring center. Local police track in real time and respond to emergencies. In turn, all monitoring units are integrated into the central command center located at the main headquarters, which has access to images and alarms of all buildings.
At the time of executing the access control to the buildings, when a person uses his identification number (CPF) to enter, the system indicates if there is an arrest warrant against him. If a court order is found, an alarm is triggered in the system and the team follows this person's path in the building. Forensic search analyzes the person's physical characteristics and clothing, so cameras can find and track them inside the complex.
While this person is being monitored, police contact the agency that issued the arrest warrant to determine if it is still valid and requires action. Since the implementation of the project, this feature has helped law enforcement agencies identify, locate, and arrest individuals with a valid warrant.
An efficient and scalable system
The implementation of the system was carried out in stages. Since the TJDFT is a public body, each phase required a bidding process. The judicial police was in charge of preparing the description of the project to carry out the tender, the services and products contracted.
According to Martins da Silva, the first stage was carried out in 2015. "We chose the most critical, largest buildings with the highest flow of people to receive the new technology first. At that time, we upgraded nine buildings with the new video surveillance solution."
In 2017, the project was expanded to the rest of the buildings in the second phase. By then, the contract already required the use of Milestone's VMS. For the third stage, in 2020, the TJDFT updated all licenses and expanded the Milestone Care Plus service, which provides full product maintenance and support.
Approximately 1,174 cameras are installed in common areas, outdoor and indoor, especially in spaces where criminals are held. 80 percent of the cameras are from Axis. Being the largest and with the largest number of courtrooms, the main building received the largest number of cameras, with a total of 450. The other 29 buildings have between 40 and 110 cameras each, depending on their size and specific needs. The system is scalable and open, ready to handle new installations and additional integrations.
"We buy our cameras at different times based on cost, functionality and warranty," Martins da Silva said. "We had 30 buildings that used different cameras, so we needed to be sure that they would all be integrated into the video management system seamlessly."
The management of all the forums of the Federal District is carried out in a virtual machine, installed on a SQL server. However, recordings of the images are still made locally in each building to avoid overloading storage.
Located in the main building, the monitoring room has more robust servers and a video wall with 10 47-inch monitors for image display. Police officers monitor the system 24 hours a day with the support of the IT team, if necessary.
The personnel operating the system received training on the most commonly used functions on a daily basis: image retrieval, search, mosaic configuration, and system alarm checking.
Currently, all TJDFT buildings have the Milestone VMS installed and all new buildings to be built in the future will also receive the solution.
