341 New York City Buses Being Outfitted with Security Cameras

Bus drivers for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in New York City are saying that the MTA is installing surveillance cameras on hundreds of buses in the city in response to a recent assault on another driver. According to Brooklyn's Union Bus Chair Willie Rivera, "The program will keep us safe."

MTA officials are saying that cameras are already operational on a total of 85 buses. MTA also states that these cameras are on buses that mostly travel on routes that lead them through high crime neighborhoods. However, 85 buses doesn't seem to be enough as MTA has said that they are installing cameras on an additional 341 buses.

According to Ed Kenny of the New York City transit Bus Operations, "It will give drivers a sense of security, knowing that the entire time they're on the bus, there is a witness to all activity." A total of six cameras will be mounted on each bus, five covering the interior of the bus and one covering the outside of the bus that points straight ahead.

Recording of the cameras is triggered by movement. Recording begins as soon as the first person steps onto the bus and ends five minutes after the last person gets off. MTA officials say that the cameras will not feed images back to its command center in real time, however. Instead, anything recorded will be stored on the hard drive of each individual camera for nearly a month. In addition to that, MTA officials say that the videos will only be looked at if an incident on the bus is reported.

The 341 buses will have their cameras installed towards the end of April, 2012 at a cost of $10 million. Officials also stated that MTA will decide within a month if 1,100 additional buses will be outfitted with cameras at a cost of $18,000 each. "Unfortunately, our streets can be kind of rough but we've been testing this system for over a year now and so far it's stood up to the rigors of bus service," said Kenny.

As with any security system in a public area, concerns are immediately evident. A lot of citizens and drivers are worried about their privacy, though Kenny says that is not an issue. "The footage is not going to appear on YouTube," he says. "It's only used internally, used by the police department if there is an incident."

Representatives of the bus drivers union have already given their support for the program. According to Rivera, "They need to advance it, but it's a good first step." The MTA has already stated that they agree the security system is a priority and one well worth focusing on.

Source: NY1.com - MTA To Install Surveillance Cameras on 341 City Buses

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Cisco Helping China Monitor Citizens?

In recent security camera news Cisco, along with a host of other western companies, is working with the Chinese government to install an outrageous 500,000 surveillance cameras in Chongqing, a very rapidly growing commercial and industrial metropolis.

In a recent report from The Wall Street Journal, it was cited that Cisco will supply the networking equipment required for the immense security camera system. The Chongqing government declined comment to the Wall Street Journal as did China's Ministry of Public Security and State Council Information Office.

There has yet to be a lot of information published in the West about the security camera system which has been given the title "Peaceful Chongqing". However, a notice on one of the city's news sites, Chongqing Currents, reports that a Peaceful Chongqing "mobilization and deployment meeting" was held back in March. The goal of this project is to make Chongqing "a city with good security, harmonious peace and safety for investment, and to provide stable society for promotion of the harmonious urban and rural development."

What is interesting is that Google's link to the original reference to Peaceful Chongqing in the Chongqing Currents just turns up a Chinese-language 404-error page. It is currently against the law to provide the Chinese government with crime-control products thanks to legislation passed after the uprising that was known as Tiananmen Square was crushed by Chinese troops. "The United States-China Act of 1991" was passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate, but was later vetoed by then-President George H. W. Bush.

It is difficult to determine what the law that was passed by Bush covers and what it doesn't. Fingerprinting equipment, for one, falls under the law where networking equipment for a security camera system is something a little different. Cisco flat out denies that it has stepped over the line in the Middle Kingdom. According to Cisco General Counsel Mark Chandler, "Cisco does not supply equipment to China that is customized in any way to facilitate ... surveillance of users. Cisco supports Freedom of Expression, an Open Internet and Human Rights."

Chandler's stand isn't entirely out of line, though the word "customized" is a little flimsy. However, an extremely repressive government that has a long and dark history and current practice of suppressing dissent and monitoring the behavior of its citizens could easily turn something as harmless as a Cat6 patch panel into an instrument of the government's watchful eye and iron fist.

Peaceful Chongqing is set to go live over the course of the next two to three years.

Source: The Register - Cisco drives epic Chinese surveillance network, says report

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New D14 DualDome Camera Released by Mobotix

Mobotix has just released the new Mobotix D14 DualDome Camera, a weatherproof and shock-resistant 6.2 megapixel surveillance camera that is the successor to the Mobotix D12 series of cameras. The Mobotix D14 DualDome Camera features two separately adjustable camera models, each with 3.1 megapixels. This camera series also offers a variety of ways to examine a scene due to the fact that the two models can be combined to create one image. In addition to that, the D14 also provides a digital PTZ and has absolutely no mechanical moving parts.

This camera, equipped with a 90-degree wide angle lens, is able to record an entire scene while the tele lens records portrait photos in front of a particular area at the same time. The two 90-degree lenses also allow for 180-degree recording when monitoring things that require such a feat. The addition of a digital sensor switching function also allows the D14 to be used as a true day/night camera since it is able to be equipped with one color and one black/white module.

This device also includes motion detection that can trigger a recording or an alarm and send a notification to you via email or VoIP. The D14 is also compatible with the SIP audio protocol. The integrated DVR includes up to 64GB of memory and also records for weeks without the need of an attached PC. On top of that, the memory can even be extended to terabytes with an external NAS drive.

The D14 is also very efficient to run considering heating and cooling are not necessary and that the device consumes a low 4W of power via a network cable (Power over Ethernet). There is also a version of the D14 that features a stainless steel, vandalism-proof design with a 3mm polycarbonate dome with wall and pole mounts also available.

Compared to the last generation model, the D14 offers USB and MxBus interfaces for extension modules like I/O, GPS or RS232. The new processor in the D14 also allows for a higher frame rate of up to 6.2 megapixel image format. Microphones and speakers are also supported by the new audio functions that include echo elimination.

According to General Manager, Americas, Mobotix Steve Gorski, "The Mobotix D14 combines the unique Mobotix decentralized approach to surveillance with 6.2 megapixel quality video to provide exceptional coverage of large areas with the detail required to correctly identify situations quickly.The Mobotix D14 enhances our comprehensive suite of innovative, high-resolution surveillance technologies that are all easy to install but also offer superb performance and advanced functionality."

Source: Tech Zone 360 - Mobotix Launches D14 DualDome Camera

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Axis Debuts World's Smallest HD Security Cameras

Small, smaller, smallest, that is the way technology is always headed. Everything has to be smaller, neater, cleaner, have a more professional look, etc... We've seen it in our gaming consoles, televisions, computer monitors, iPods, laptops and everything else we use in our day to day lives. The next things that appear to be getting smaller are our security cameras.

Axis Communications, one of the global leaders in network and video security cameras, has just unveiled the world's smallest pan/tilt/zoom dome camera. Known as the M50 PTZ Dome Network Camera series, this device is designed for business managers who are looking for a discrete, affordable security camera solution that allows them to remotely monitor anything from a store or bank to a hotel lobby or restaurant.

The M50 PTZ Dome Network Camera series features two models, the M5013 which will run you $499 and the M5014 which will cost you $599. This new camera series is sleek and discrete and allows you to have 360-degree surveillance of the area in which you put it in HD. The PTZ features allow operators to get perfect angles on anything they wish to monitor so they never miss a thing.

The unique design also allows these cameras to be used in place of multiple cameras thanks to the pan/tilt/zoom features and the 360-degree viewing angle. If you need a camera that provides you with an incredible field of view, is very discrete and captures images in full HD, the new M50 PTZ Dome Network Camera series from Axis Communications is the right choice for you.

Source: Tech 2 - Axis Introduces World's Smallest HD Security Cameras in India

Security Camera Solutions

Chicago Plans on Expanding Security Camera Network

Chicago is already home to more than 10,000 private security cameras that, if combined, account for the most extensive and integrated camera network in the entire country according to Mayor Rahm Emanuel. However, as if 10,000 cameras weren't enough, Emanuel has just agreed to expand the network even further.

In a recent report from the Chicago Sun-Times it was reported that Emanuel approved three new loop sites for surveillance. The three loops are the Chicago Board of Trade, the Federal Reserve and AT&T's switching center. These new cameras will supposedly be paid for with a $650,000 federal grant from the Department of Homeland Security.

According to Emanuel, "It's necessary. They're key buildings. They were not a part of the network. The fiber had already been laid. I don't know if I'd use the word weird or strange. But, if you've laid the fiber and you have key pieces of critical national security ... that don't have the cameras..."

The American Civil Liberties Union, also known as the ACLU, released a report back in February that criticized Chicago's extensive use of surveillance cameras and described the citizens of the city as "the most-watched citizens in the country." The ACLU suggested that Chicago should focus on hiring more officers to address crime, rather than buying new cameras, which the city has implemented quite steadily over the past decade.

"Chicago's camera network invades the freedom to be anonymous in public places, a key aspect of the fundamental American right to be left alone," the ACLU stated. "Each of us then will wonder whether the government is watching and recording us when we walk into a psychiatrist's office, a reproductive health care center, a political meeting, a theater performance or a book store."

Jody Weis, former Chicago Police Superintendent, is a big supporter of the cameras saying that they help deter crime and are cost effective for a police department that has been forced to work more understaffed than usual. These cameras also help police collect solid evidence that can be extremely helpful in court.

In a statement from Weis found in Chicago Magazine back in 2009, "Rather than having the guys do surveillance on the street, they are sitting back and watching it on the cameras. They've got the cars identified, they know who to go after, and they can arrest the people."

I see where the ACLU is coming from but that argument brings up another one, if people aren't doing anything illegal, then why does it matter what the camera sees?

Source: Huffpost Chicago - Chicago Expands Surveillance Camera Network

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California City to Link School Security Cameras with City Systems

Police and school officials in Pittsburg, California are planning on linking cameras at the city's new year-old high school to a citywide security system that has already been credited with assisting in helping solve crimes. This new move will help police officers investigate any crimes that may occur at the school which houses 2,500 students. It may also help officers respond to disturbances at the school more quickly.

According to police Captain Brian Addington, the intention of the cameras is not "to actively monitor the kids. If there are any issues at the high school, we can have access to the cameras quickly so we can respond to any emergency there." One police officer is assigned to the campus full time while another is assigned to Pittsburg's two junior high schools.

The city has spent a total of $1.5 million to install 80 cameras at different strategic points in the city since 2005. Images from these cameras are stored on computer hard drives at the police department for up to three weeks which gives officers enough time to review them if a crime is reported near a camera location. The police department has used the cameras to corroborate information from witnesses and victims to solve more than 100 crimes.

According to Addington, "In one case, there was an attempted murder in which the suspect was seen riding a bicycle to and from the crime scene and was identified and convicted based on the taped evidence."Todd Whitmire, principal of the school, has said that no significant incidents have taken place in the new campus' first year but welcomed the link stating that it will "supplement what administrators and teachers are doing to keep the campus safe."

100 cameras are located in the courtyard, halls and stairwells of the campus allowing Whitmire and other administrators to view the images on their laptops. Unfortunately, the cameras have been unable to help with the biggest new problem at the school, graffiti and vandalism in the school's bathrooms. "If there is vandalism and graffiti, typically it happens in the bathrooms where cameras are not allowed," Whitmire stated.

The citywide system has been funded primarily by developer fees, homeland security grants and redevelopment funds. In addition to the cameras, the city will also pay around $40,000 for software in order to establish the link and will also pay for upkeep and maintenance of the system, Whitmire stated.

Source: Mercury News - Pittsburg to link city, high school security camera systems

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New Security Camera from AVTech Links with Mobile Technology

A new security camera is making its way around the markets that will reportedly allow you to receive alerts on your iPhone, iPad, Android or other mobile device. The camera is the AVN80X from AVTech out of Taiwan and is a networked webcam that is designed for home monitoring. The AVN80X is also wall-mountable and can be connected to either a wired or wireless home network.

Once you set it up, the AVN80X will automatically record when it detects motion and send you an alert. AVTech has already developed apps for the iPhone, iPad, Android and tablets which allow the devices to receive alerts via "push" notifications and display them to the user. As the user, you then have the ability to view the video of what has just been recorded.

The AVN80X can also be linked up to other security devices like door alarms. The camera can be set up using the iPhone or iPad apps so that the user does not need to use a computer. However, the video and alerts can also be viewed on the internet. The iOS and Android apps are available through their respective app stores while software for other mobile devices will be available from AVTech's website.

Software for Mac and Windows computers will also come with the camera, which is expected to run around $180 when it goes on sale later this year. AVTech started showing off this camera at this year's Computex TaiPei and will be pumping out more information soon.

Source: Computer Active - AVTech's security camera links to phones and tablets

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