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Solution Description to Assist Grantseekers in Developing Proposal Narratives
IP Video Security
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Solution Type: IP Video Security Grantseeker Type: Municipality or Local Law Enforcement Agency
In today00 world, law enforcement agencies and other first responders face increased threats from terrorist individuals, and nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) agents, in addition to the workload already incumbent on them prior to September 11, 2001. At the same time, technology has made it possible to extend real time, active monitoring to critical infrastructure elements, transportation facilities, banking and retail institutions, and schools and municipal buildings.
Need <<Description of the need/problem addressed by the solution>> Tip: Add information here relating to local needs surveys and threat assessments. Include historical data on response time, line of duty injury, crime statistics, and number of locations monitored by video surveillance linked to public safety dispatch. The events of September 11, 2001 created a need for law enforcement agencies and municipalities across the country to evaluate levels of threat awareness across their communities. Cell towers that had previously been secured with a simple lock and fence, if at all, were re-considered as critical infrastructure nodes in need of protection. Local train and bus stations that had little or no monitoring became potential targets. The list of sensitive sites has increased dramatically, and human resources have not been able to keep pace through traditional deployment strategies.
This expanded responsibility has also revealed deployment issues that have been faced by law enforcement and community policing agencies over a long period of time. Triggered alarms, whether at a bank or other secure location, require a significant application of time and resources and, as the Associated Press reported recently, 95% of the nation00 38 million yearly alarms are false. Nationwide, false alarms cost police agencies $600 million per year and use 6.5 million personnel hours, according to the International Association of Chiefs of Police.1.
Legitimate alarms also require heightened awareness in the current climate. The size and makeup of the deployment force, as well as the protective gear that might be required to effectively respond to a crisis, are often left to the imagination, as there may be little or no real information about the situation and the threat the first responders may be facing. In the past, first responders could be prepared to deal with criminals armed with guns and other conventional weapons, but now they must also be able to deter and manage threats of chemical, biological, and even nuclear agents as well. It would be a practical impossibility to bring equipment relative to all these threats, including mutual aid from other agencies, to the scene of every alarm. Situational awareness is critical to the effective response of agents and officers.
Once on the scene, law enforcement officers are required to make split second judgments regarding the position and hazards associated with the threats they are about to engage. Real time video of the interior of a building targeted by police forces, for example, could provide valuable information to support decisions at the scene and increased awareness that could save lives.
<<Independent justification for addressing the need/problem>> Tip: Add information here from local, regional, and statewide public safety, critical infrastructure security, and emergency operations plans In a study conducted by the National Institute of Justice in January 1999, researchers found that in terms of technologies available, law enforcement agencies often are not as well equipped as the terrorists they may face. The study also found that terrorist acts can expand the scope of routine police functions, creating a need for new technologies, and that many of the capabilities used to combat terrorism also are needed to combat crime in general.2
The study also found that among the most frequently cited technology needs of law enforcement in the area of surveillance, improved 00ee through the wall00capability and improved long-range video monitoring ranked first and second, respectively.
00ee through the walls00technology involves being able, from a remote location, to locate individuals in a room, to differentiate between terrorists and hostages, and to determine whether individuals are armed and where armed individuals are. Long-range video monitoring includes unobtrusive remote devices that can be left in place.
<<Other contextual drivers for implementing the solution>> Tip: Add here anything that is happening around the region that supports your desire to install a Cisco IP Video Security Solution at this time. Examples may include a county-wide emergency planning initiative, availability of additional purchasing power by joining with surrounding towns to purchase the solution, etc.
Approach <<Less technical description of the solution>> Tip: Add details here on the specific number of sites and types of organizations and critical infrastructure sites you intend to secure with the system. Any details you have at this point will help explain your specific plans for the funding. The Cisco IP Video Security System provides real-time video of an incident in progress on laptops installed in patrol cars and on personal digital assistants (PDAs) officers can carry with them. When a bank employee triggers an alarm, the bank00 network alerts the central police station that an event is in progress and begins to relay video data to the police at the station, as well as those approaching the scene.
The individual at the central police station immediately begins to monitor the event via the bank00 video cameras. Initially, the dispatcher can check the scene for an apparent false alarm, allowing him or her to dispatch a minimal response to confirm the false alarm.
If the alarm appears legitimate, the dispatcher evaluates the evident threat, based on the available video, and deploys an appropriate force to deal with the crisis. In this case (s)he may also recommend certain precautions against hazards such as armed suspects or chemical, biological, or radiological agents.
Once on the scene, officers can continuously monitor the interior video through hand held PDAs, providing situational awareness and decision support for those attempting to manage the situation.
During this entire time, the network continues to record digital video, documenting the events taking place in the building.
<<Advantages over other alternative solutions>> Tip: Discuss what other technology enhancements you have considered locally and why you chose the Cisco solution. More cumbersome applications that involve installed laptops in vehicles rather than the flexibility of PDAs can actually reduce officers00effectiveness by forcing them to stay in or near their vehicles. At the 1996 00echnology for Community Policing00conference, sponsored by the National Institute of Justice and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, Ronald Sloan, then Chief of the Arvada, Colorado Police Department, noted that the combination of computer-aided dispatch technology and computerized data in the patrol car has tethered officers to the automobile rather than facilitating face to face interaction in the community that is so integral to community policing. Not only do officers feel tied to machines in their patrol units, but dispatchers can00 reach officers who are out of their cars.3 These 00ethered00technologies also provide information to support the officers00next steps, but only as long as the officers are in their cars. Circumstances can change quickly, and the officers need their best chance to see and understand the situation from moment to moment.
Video security systems that cannot gain access outside their own internal networks provide little or no useful information to officers either at the central station or on the scene. Similarly, output from car-based video recording devices that only record locally is subject to damage, and cannot be shared with other officers to assist in their understanding and response to emerging threats.
Actively monitored video feeds require a great deal of personnel resources to manage, since officers can only monitor relatively few cameras. The result is limited monitoring capability at a high price.
Outcomes <<Narrative description of outcomes/benefits to be accrued by the customer as a result of implementing the solution>> Tip: Relate the outcomes you expect to accrue as a result of the new technology to your initial discussion of needs, the more local the better. Access to real time video data by dispatchers, supervisors, and the officers arriving at the scene will provide a number of benefits, in terms of improved officer safety, effectiveness, and departmental efficiency.
Improved situational awareness will allow dispatchers to deploy officers in sufficient numbers with the right kind of gear to more effectively deal with a threat and stay as safe as possible. Further, when officers or other response personnel arrive on the scene, their ability to 00ee through the wall00will inform their movements and the way they address apparent and developing threats from individuals, as well as nuclear, biological, chemical (NBC) or other agents.
With the ability to remotely verify alarms, the agency can expect improved force availability to respond to legitimate crises.
The agency can also expect the proposed technology enhancements to improve the overall efficiency of the force, enabling it to protect and secure more locations without adding significant personnel to accomplish this.
<<Chart further detailing expected outcomes, suggested indicators, targets, and timeframes>> Tip: If you have specific (measurable) expectations, replace the more general outcomes here with specific measurements you will report to the funder at the end of the funding period. Specific outcomes and indicators include:
Outcomes Indicators Targets/Performance By When Increased officer safety Line of duty injuries to officers in the field Decreased injuries Within one year Increased effectiveness Reduction in crime Decreased crime statistics Within one year Increased effectiveness Force utilization rate Reduction in responses to false alarms Immediately Increased efficiency Response time Decreased response time Immediately Increased efficiency Number of locations monitored by video surveillance linked to public safety dispatch, compared with annual budgets assigned to monitoring Increase in the number of locations, stability of annual funds assigned to this function Immediately
The purpose of the new technology is to improve security for incidents and effectively evaluate the situation before officers arrive on the scene. Once the system has been implemented in all proposed areas, the agency can expect an increase in the number of locations secured, as well as a decrease in force applied to responding to false alarms.
If the desired outcomes are not met after six months, staff should be interviewed to determine what barriers are keeping them from maximizing the potential of the system. If necessary, the design team will make system alterations. Should the barrier be one of user comfort, staff should be retrained.
As the creation of the system will be a team approach, so will its success. All parties involved will be informed as to the progress and success of implementing the new video security system.
Activities <<Suggested activities for implementing and monitoring the adoption and results of the implementation>> Tip: Based on your conversations with your Cisco Account Team and System Integrator, and your product requirements and design documents, detail the steps you plan to follow to implement the solution, including who will be responsible for what (by name or title).
Using requirements documents and system design materials already developed by Cisco and the System Integrator, the agency will purchase and, with the System Integrator, install the equipment and software that will provide the basis for the IP Video Security project at the specified sites.
Once the network is in place, the agency will begin to engage in extensive training on the system. The System Integrator will provide all staff with an orientation to the system. The Cisco certified training center will provide training on the use and user maintenance of the Cisco equipment. Finally, the agency will participate in training on any third party hardware and software via the third party00 recommended channels.
Network support staff will receive additional training from Cisco on how to configure network infrastructure components, determine the necessary redundant and backup WAN connections, and investigate WAN connectivity alternatives, such as satellite transmission services dedicated to video broadcast streams as the primary, inter-site transmission medium.
The agency chief or his or her designee will assume primary responsibility for the implementation of the new system by monitoring all rollout activities and tracking the indicated objectives. (S)he will also document training and orientation activities and report problems and progress to the funder, following the funder00 reporting requirements.
In addition to the current staff, no additional personnel will be needed to effectively operate and manage the system.
Future Funding <<Suggestions for documenting ongoing funding potential for the project (often required by funders)>> Tip: Most Federal programs will not place a great deal of emphasis on this point, but state and local funders will want you to demonstrate your plan for ensuring the continued maintenance of the technology. Initial funding will allow the agency to develop system specifications, purchase the required hardware and software, and pay for any necessary first-year technical support. The initial implementation constitutes a one-time expense that will save money on an annual basis. After the first year, any ongoing support costs will be absorbed into the budget of the agency. Other sources of ongoing funding include local foundations, other government funding, or other campaign funds. Resources
1 00gnoring Home Alarms,00San Jose Mercury News, April 14, 2003. 2 00nventory of State and Local Law Enforcement Technology Needs to Combat Terrorism,00National Institute of Justice Research in Brief, January 1999. 3 00echnology for Community Policing: Conference Report,00Published June 1997, available at www.nlectc.org/txtfiles/confrpt.html. Solution Description IP Video Security Page

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