How Cal State Northridge Put the Brakes on Parking Lot Crime
CSUN uses video analytics to identify incidents as they happen and has reduced grand theft auto by 60 percent.
Video analytics or video content analysis has been around for years, but it previously didn’t have a very good reputation due to its cost and propensity for false alarms. Fortunately, the price tag of these systems has decreased significantly since they were launched. Additionally, the false alarm issue has been addressed for the most part.
Now video content analysis is living up to its promise of notifying campus public safety departments in real time when an incident is occurring, enabling officers to respond faster and with more information.
Check out our slide show of the CSUN video analytics installation.
Need proof? Just ask California State University Northridge (CSUN) Police Chief Anne Glavin and Captain Scott VanScoy who worked with IXP Corp. to install video analytics two years ago. CSUN enhanced their video surveillance capabilities by coupling traditional video with analytics to monitor parking garages, parking lots, administrative buildings and other areas on campus.
The results of the implementation of this technology have been impressive. In 2015, CSUN’s parking lots experienced an 11 percent decrease in crime, including a 60 percent drop in grand theft auto. In the first half of 2016, officers were able to disrupt 32 crimes in progress or that had just occurred.
In this exclusive interview with Campus Safety magazine, Glavin and VanScoy discuss the specifics of their video analytics installation, including the process they used to select the system, some tips on how to address budget issues and how the system works.
Check out our slide show of the CSUN video analytics installation.
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About the Author
Robin Hattersley, Editor-in-Chief
Robin has been covering the security and campus law enforcement industries since 1998 and is a specialist in school, university and hospital security, public safety and emergency management, as well as emerging technologies and systems integration. She joined CS in 2005 and has authored award-winning editorial on campus law enforcement and security funding, officer recruitment and retention, access control, IP video, network integration, event management, crime trends, the Clery Act, Title IX compliance, sexual assault, dating abuse, emergency communications, incident management software and more. Robin has been featured on national and local media outlets and was formerly associate editor for the trade publication Security Sales & Integration. She obtained her undergraduate degree in history from California State University, Long Beach.
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