Kansas School District Purchases IP Video Surveillance
The district in Topeka, Kansas, adopted the camera systems to improve security.
United School District (USD) 501 in Topeka, Kansas, once relied on limited analog security systems to cover a few of its 40 school campuses and facilities. These stand-alone systems were not connected and produced poor image quality that resulted in difficulties addressing and resolving incidents. As school safety issues continued to persist, performance was impacted and enrollment dropped at some district schools.
The increase in incidents and safety concerns prompted the district to perform a security audit that involved the Topeka Police Department School Resource Officers, the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, and the Department of Homeland Security. The agencies made recommendations for an enhanced digital surveillance system to monitor activity on and around school campuses.
RELATED: Mich. School District Announces Security Upgrades
Following the audit, the district was awarded a federal security grant for a pilot project to implement a new IP video system for Highland Park High School. The district then set out to find a security partner to help identify the solution that could accurately and efficiently help school resource officers monitor and respond to security issues to ensure the safety of students, staff and facilities.
Multi-Location Solution
In choosing its new solution, the district worked with local integrator ISG Technology. ISG has been named Milestone Partner of the Year and has a long history of expertise installing Milestone solutions. ISG worked closely with the school to identify the solution that would meet their needs – starting with Milestone XProtect Corporate video management software (VMS) and 150 Axis network cameras, plus integrated access control door monitoring.
After the implementation of the new digital video system in 2011, incidents at Highland Park High School were reduced significantly. Following the pilot project success, the district began expanding the system in 2012 to cover two additional high schools and alternative schools, with 450 more cameras. Officials then added cameras at the middle schools as well. Once they had eight schools covered by IP cameras, it became clear that they should implement a central command center so all data could be monitored efficiently from one location. This approach also offered considerable cost savings over installing multiple servers and infrastructure at different locations.
The district voted in 2015 to continue expanding the Milestone/Axis solution to cover schools across the district and add monitoring capabilities using the Milestone Mobile client that gives access to the video from smartphones and laptops. Currently, the district’s system covers 15 schools with about 1,200 cameras, and there are plans to add approximately 1,000 cameras and cover 25 more schools by mid-2017.
IP Network Advantages
Milestone’s IP VMS provided a significant upgrade to the district’s analog system and greatly enhanced its ability to centrally monitor and efficiently respond to incidents on and around school campuses. The added functionality of the Milestone software allows the district to easily access video locally at individual school locations or off site on computers or mobile devices.
With hundreds more cameras than its previous system, the district can now view video from throughout the campuses without worrying about blind spots. Axis cameras provide a much higher video quality than the district’s prior analog system and enable school officers to monitor suspicious people and activity in surrounding neighborhoods. The district plans to share access to its video system with the Topeka emergency operations center to allow other first responders to view video in the event of an emergency or crime.
Institutional Profile
Topeka Public Schools USD 501 covers the entire city of Topeka and is the third largest school district in Kansas. The district includes more than 14,000 students attending classes in 40 buildings. The district has three high schools, six middle schools and 17 elementary schools. It is widely known for its role in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education school desegregation case of 1954.
If you appreciated this article and want to receive more valuable industry content like this, click here to sign up for our FREE digital newsletters!
Related Content
Leading in Turbulent Times: Effective Campus Public Safety Leadership for the 21st Century
This new webcast will discuss how campus public safety leaders can effectively incorporate Clery Act, Title IX, customer service, “helicopter” parents, emergency notification, town-gown relationships, brand management, Greek Life, student recruitment, faculty, and more into their roles and develop the necessary skills to successfully lead their departments. Register today to attend this free webcast!
