Memphis Police Adopt Hikvision Tools
The Memphis Police Department has placed surveillance cameras strategically around the city to help catch criminals.
Hikvision cameras help resolve four or five cases each week according to MPD Sergeant Joseph Patty
Hikvision USA, a creator of video surveillance products, has teamed up with the Memphis Police Department to protect the residents of Memphis.
Using a variety of security solutions to prevent and reduce crime, MPD has deployed hundreds of analog and IP cameras and dozens of recorders from Hikvision to keep the city safe since 2007. With incidents now being captured on high-quality video, MPD has noted an increase in criminal cases being taken to court. The city has also built a Real Time Crime Center where they can view live video feeds and provide critical information to officers before they arrive at a crime scene.
Kenneth Shackleford, former technology manager at MPD who has subsequently retired from the force, developed a surveillance program to monitor Memphis’ critical infrastructure. “I started looking at ways that we could start installing cameras throughout the city,” Shackleford said. He is now vice president of sales at SkyCop, a local integrator that specializes in law enforcement, military, and private industry installations.
The SkyCop team and MPD decided on three configurations: cameras attached to utility poles, cameras attached to buildings and mobile trailers. To date, the police department has established a network of about 600 of Hikvision’s analog and IP bullet and dome PTZ cameras throughout the city. Building exteriors, for example, are often outfitted with a 3 MP outdoor bullet camera with a body type that allows for easy mounting. This camera also offers line crossing and intrusion detection features to make surveillance more effective. These features can send alerts to the police when someone enters or leaves a designated area.
Hikvision’s DarkFighter PTZ camera is also in use. With robust smart features such as detection of region entrance/exit and detection of audio loss, the DarkFighter thrives in challenging low-light environments and features 120 dB wide dynamic range as well as a sharp 23x optical zoom lens with autofocus. These elements help to provide crystal-clear color images day and night.
The footage from these cameras, which are placed at strategic points around Memphis, flows back to the MPD Real Time Crime Center (RTCC). The RTCC is used to enhance security for city assets and infrastructure and has become a sophisticated way for the city to fight crime.
RELATED: Thief Arrested After Trying to Steal School’s Surveillance Cameras
“We have a video wall with dozens of monitors and we can pull up any camera feed in the city,” said Sergeant Joseph Patty, who has succeeded Shackleford as the video surveillance manager for MPD. “We have about 30 workstations out on the floor that can view the video wall or pull up any camera feed.”
MPD has experienced noticeable benefits from their citywide surveillance program. “We have four or five cases prosecuted each week thanks to these incidents being captured on video,” Sergeant Patty said. “Plus, we’re able to dispatch calls from the RTCC and view live video before the officer even arrives on the scene.”
Kenneth Shackleford, former technology manager at MPD who has subsequently retired from the force, developed a surveillance program to monitor Memphis’ critical infrastructure. “I started looking at ways that we could start installing cameras throughout the city,” Shackleford said. He is now vice president of sales at SkyCop, a trusted local integrator that specializes in law enforcement, military, and private industry installations.
The SkyCop team and MPD decided on three configurations: cameras attached to utility poles, cameras attached to buildings, and mobile trailers. To date, the police department has established a network of about 600 of Hikvision’s analog and IP bullet and dome PTZ cameras throughout the city. Building exteriors, for example, are often outfitted with a 3 MP outdoor bullet camera with a body type that allows for easy mounting. This camera also offers line crossing and intrusion detection features to make surveillance more effective. These features can send alerts to the police when someone enters or leaves a designated area.
RELATED: We Want to Hear from You! Take Campus Safety’s Video Surveillance Survey
Hikvision’s DarkFighter PTZ camera is also in use. With robust smart features such as detection of region entrance/exit and detection of audio loss, the DarkFighter thrives in challenging low-light environments and features 120 dB wide dynamic range as well as a sharp 23x optical zoom lens with autofocus. These elements help to provide crystal-clear color images day and night.
The footage from these cameras, which are placed at strategic points around Memphis, flows back to the MPD Real Time Crime Center (RTCC). The RTCC is used to enhance security for city assets and infrastructure and has become a sophisticated way for the city to fight crime.
“We have a video wall with dozens of monitors and we can pull up any camera feed in the city,” said Sergeant Joseph Patty, who has succeeded Shackleford as the video surveillance manager for MPD. “We have about 30 workstations out on the floor that can view the video wall or pull up any camera feed.”
MPD has experienced noticeable benefits from their citywide surveillance program. “We have four or five cases prosecuted each week thanks to these incidents being captured on video,” Sergeant Patty said. “Plus, we’re able to dispatch calls from the RTCC and view live video before the officer even arrives on the scene.”
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!
