When the Lawrence, Mass. Police Department noticed that the city’s unlawful activity periodically changed locations rather than remain rooted in a fixed area, they decided that a mobile unit would be the most efficient and cost-effective solution to ensure safety. Hikvision USA, City of Industry, Calif., a leader in video surveillance products and solutions, and Eagle Eye Networks, Austin, Texas, a cloud security camera video management system provider, partnered with the police department to create a mobile surveillance solution. Hikvision cameras installed in a police van are linked to the Eagle Eye Security Camera video management system (VMS) to provide high quality, secure remote access to live and recorded video. This installation allows the police to provide cutting edge video surveillance in areas that need it the most, while eliminating expensive infrastructure.

The van is parked in “trouble spots” throughout the city; officers at the police station use the video feeds as a tool to monitor activity, as do patrol cars in the vicinity of where the van is parked. The ability to securely access and view video across multiple sites in a single view decreases response time for police officers in the field. East Coast Security Services Inc., a leading New England systems integrator, introduced the technology to the police department and outfitted the mobile surveillance van.

“The Lawrence Police Department needed to be able to see multiple locations on one interface and they needed to be able to share logins with several different people,” explained Dennis Bouchard, director of operations of East Coast Security. “We turned to the cloud-managed Eagle Eye Security Camera VMS because it was extremely easy to deploy and provided secure remote access. The high-quality images we get can then be retrieved via a smartphone, tablet, or web browser.”

East Coast Security selected Hikvision’s DS-2CD2112F-I dome cameras and DS-2CD2212-I5 EXIR bullet cameras for superior image quality. The 2212 model boasts infrared distance of up to 150 feet, making it an especially good fit for a van that is often used during nighttime hours.

“It’s amazing how clear the images are, even from a far distance,” reported Justin Crow, director of facilities for the Lawrence Police Department “The surveillance van is a very visible sign that the police are working to reduce crime in the city. It serves as a good deterrent even when it’s just driving down the street: it gets people talking. We are hoping it will help support a positive relationship with the community and lead to a lot of tip generations.”