Law enforcement and technology leaders from urban areas, cities, towns and transit agencies are being educated on municipal video surveillance. Video surveillance is an instrumental tool for home and business security, and now it could be implemented everywhere.

What do you think? What are the pros and cons? This article provides 9 reasons why municipal video surveillance is now perceived as necessary:

9 Urban Security And Video Technology Lessons From Secured Cities

BY GEOFF KOHL

April 27, 2012

A week ago, we concluded the Secured Cities conference in Chicago, Ill. The conference brings together law enforcement and technology leaders from urban areas, cities, towns and transit agencies for two days of education about topics such as using police crime cameras, creating transit-wide surveillance systems, homeland security, technology-based policing and more. In this week’s blog post, I want to share a few take-aways from the conference to the broader security industry.

The conference has been my project for a couple years now, having founded it in Atlanta in 2011, and it’s continued to grow – far beyond its initial focus solely on city video surveillance (although that is still a dominant topic at the conference). As conference director, I have the luxury of dropping in on many of the seminars from speakers like Baltimore Lt. Hood (a speaker for awebinar on urban security technology integation next week – register today), Chicago OEMC’s Ruben Madrigal (an amazing technology leader and public safety visionary), and the Urban Institute’s Dr. Nancy La Vigne (who found an ROI of more than 4:1 for Chicago’s video system!). There are so many jewels of knowledge surrounding video technology, CBRNE, policing effectiveness, but here are nine that were iterated again and again in the seminars:

1. Management of urban security technology today means linking a high number of disparate systems.
2. If you solve one crime or prevent one crime, you will see cascading benefits.
3. Look for new opportunities for funding urban security and municipal video surveillance because the former sources are shrinking and are becoming highly sought after (for great tips check out Deb O’Mara’swrite-up on the seminar from National Public Safety Foundation’s Mark Jules).
4. Different systems have different needs and different cities have different needs. There is no cookie-cutter approach to municipal security technology.
5. Cooperate and share resources. The continued message was that if you are not doing this, 1) you won’t get the funding you request and 2) you are setting yourself up for political failure.
6. In the Jones (GPS) case, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed that video surveillance is now ubiquitous. This subtle determination could have lasting impacts on privacy rulings as they related to municipal video surveillance.
7. The proliferation of thousands of video surveillance cameras is exceeding our ability to do live monitoring, and is creating a resurging interest in and applications for video content analytics.
8. Just like in the corporate security world, IT and physical security are starting to merge in terms of how they are managed and who manages them.
9. Video surveillance is no longer a “nice to have” for officers; it’s becoming a necessity.

We’re moving forward. We will host our fall Secured Cities conference in Philadelphia (Oct. 10-11), and are adding a “Secured Campus” component for law enforcement and security teams associated with K-12 and university security/policing. The Secured Transit component returns as well. The call for papers is open now until June 1st on the SecuredCities.com website, and if you’d like to see some of the great content from Secured Cities, watch next week’s webinar with the Baltimore Police Department – which I promise will open your eyes in terms of what you can do with urban video surveillance integration.

Source: http://www.securityinfowatch.com/blog/10706829/9-urban-security-and-video-technology-lessons-from-secured-cities

Redwire has launched a ‘Likes’ campaign on facebook to select a winner of 4 Redwire cruiser bicycles! We will select a winner at the end of each month from May-August, and entries will roll over each month.

‘Like’ us on facebook to enter! https://www.facebook.com/redwireUS

We’re supporting National Bike Month by teaming up with Capital City Cyclists and announcing our May winner at their raffle on May 31st. Check out the Tallahassee chapter here:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/National-Bike-Month-Tallahassee/246148715482111

Look for your local chapter and help support National Bike Month as well!

In honor of this exciting month, Amica Insurance has provided some bike safety tips. Enjoy and learn!

Lincoln, RI (PRWEB) May 11, 2012

As days get warmer and longer, bicyclists of all ages are heading to bike paths and city streets. It’s also the time of year when bicycle-related injuries skyrocket. That’s why Amica Insurance is offering bike safety tips as part of National Bike Safety Month, which runs through the end of May.

Deaths from bicycle accidents have decreased steadily during the past decade, according to the most recent statistics from the U.S. Department of Transportation(DOT). But these deaths could be reduced even further if bicycle riders of all ages, not just young children, wore helmets. In fact, 89 percent of bicycle deaths are persons 16 and older, and only about one in 10 fatally injured bicyclists were wearing helmets, according to the DOT report.

“Every bike rider should wear a helmet,” said Lisa Melton, an assistant vice president with Amica Insurance. Choose a helmet that meets federal safety standards and is the correct size. A helmet should fit tightly on the top of the head and the straps should be secure under the chin. The helmet should not be able to move.

Here are a few other tips for bike safety:

•  Make sure your bike is the correct size – your feet should be able to touch the ground when sitting on the bike.
•  Wear bright, reflective clothing when riding.
•  Place a light and reflectors on your bike when riding at night.
•  Check the brakes and gears on your bike to make sure they’re working properly, and make sure the tires are inflated.
•  Ride in the same direction as traffic. “Set a good example for your children by wearing a helmet when you ride. Talk to your children about bicycle safety,” Melton said. “Remind them to use caution, obey all traffic regulations and be especially careful at intersections.”

Bike riding is a great way to have fun with your family and exercise, Melton said, so make safety your top priority and enjoy the ride this spring and summer.

About Amica Mutual Insurance
Amica Mutual Insurance Company, the nation’s oldest mutual insurer of automobiles, was founded in 1907. The company, with corporate headquarters inLincoln, RI, is a national writer of automobile, homeowners, marine and personal umbrella liability insurance. Life coverage is available through Amica Life Insurance Company, a wholly owned subsidiary. Amica employs more than 3,100 people in 40 offices across the country.

Website: Amica.com
Twitter: Amica
Facebook: Amica Mutual Insurance Co.

Article Source: http://insurancenewsnet.com/article.aspx?id=342192&type=newswires

Tallahassee Democrat reports:

“The annual statewide crime figures released this week by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement show an impressive decline in the number of crimes reported in the Sunshine State.

However, Leon County’s figures showed a crime-rate increase of 5.7 percent, with increases in the number of robberies, burglaries, larcenies and motor vehicle thefts being reported. The economy could be a factor there, for example sparking more thefts of copper wiring and other metals.

Leon County’s crime rate continues to be higher than that of the state as a whole — 5,037 crimes per 100,000 people in 2011, vs. 4,070 for the entire state. Some of that has been attributed to the population makeup of Tallahassee, which includes proportionally more student housing and apartment complexes that serve high-density populations, which in turn can lead to more crime.

The annual crime figures can be telling about crime trends, but they also must be viewed with some perspective. For instance, Franklin County, where many Tallahassee residents own coastal property, showed a crime-rate increase of 32.7 percent, including the number of burglaries increasing from 44 in 2010 to 75 last year. Gadsden County reported a crime-rate decrease of 19.6 percent, with the number of burglaries reduced from 500 in 2010 to 396 in 2011. Wakulla County had a crime-rate increase of 15.4 percent, again with burglaries (167 vs. 138) increasing.

The numbers also are based on the actual number of crimes reported to law enforcement. Too often, crime victims accept the invasion as a part of life and go on with their day.

In Leon County, burglaries and larcenies led the increases. According to TPD, crimes occur throughout the city, making it difficult to pinpoint areas where residents might be more vulnerable, except for those high-density areas. A glance at the daily Crime Report published in Tuesday’s Tallahassee Democrat mirrors the annual report trends, with the majority of the crimes being residential burglaries reported in the northwest (Ocala Road, Old Bainbridge Road, West Tharpe Street) and in the southwest (Chapel Drive, Jackson Bluff Road, Holton Street).

It is incumbent on public safety officials, knowing that we have such problem areas, to have more effective crime prevention programs and processes in place.

It’s also important that local residents aren’t complacent, especially during the upcoming summer months, when more residents leave for extended absences, vacations or change their daily habits because of the weather. Tallahassee Police Department spokesman David Northway reminded residents to keep the common-sense basics in mind. That means locking doors, securing garages (even while working outside), closing windows, using timers when you’re going to be away and removing valuables from your vehicles.

These tips sound pretty basic until you find yourself the victim of a burglary. The Leon County Sheriff’s Office (http://lcso.leonfl.org/index.html) and the Tallahassee Police Department (http://www.talgov.com/tpd) offer extensive crime-prevention services.

It’s help worth getting.”

All the more reason to protect your home or office.

Watch FDLE give the crime report here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgzAfoPnakI

Sources: http://www.tallahassee.com/article/20120502/OPINION01/205020304/Our-Opinion-Crime-matters?nclick_check=1 

http://news.wfsu.org/post/crime-rates-florida-lowest-four-decades

This Certification testifies that 100% of their central station operators have achieved proficiency and certification by passing the CSAA Central Station On-Line Operator Training Course. These courses cover virtually all phases of central station communications with customers, law enforcement, fire and emergency services communications centers. This critical area of communications is the life-saving link between the residential or business properties and the law enforcement, fire and emergency services in local areas.

In order to achieve the “Five Diamond Certification,” each and every operator must have not only passed the course, but demonstrated:
 Proficiency in alarm verification, which helps reduce false alarms;
 Proficiency in communications with the Public Service Answering Points, such as the Emergency 911 centers;
 Knowledge of electronic communications equipment, including radio;
 An understanding of the codes and standards of such organizations as Underwriters Laboratories, Factory Mutual, the National Fire Protection Association and others; and
 Proficiency in the area of emergency preparedness under a wide scenario of possibilities.
In addition, these Five Diamond companies have demonstrated an exceptionally high degree of responsibility to their local community and their customers through the investment of time, money and commitment to 100% quality operator training.

There are approximately 2,700 central stations in the United States, which communicate and interact with the law enforcement, fire and emergency services agencies. Of this group, fewer than 150 central stations have achieved the “Five Diamond Certified” status.
_________________________________
The Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA) is a 62 year-old non-profit trade association that represents the major burglar and fire alarm central monitoring stations. CSAA is located in Vienna, Virginia, outside of Washington, D.C.

We are so fortunate to have them all on our team.

Thanks for all you do!

According to a report from security blogger Brian Krebs at krebsonsecurity.com and repeated today on Forbes.com, Visa and MasterCard are warning banks of a potentially massive breach of payment card information from a U.S. card processor. Krebs writes that it may affect as many as 10 million credit cards, and that it included enough information that thieves could successfully counterfeit new cards.

Also today, Friday, March 30, MasterCard acknowledged a problem. In a statement: MasterCard is currently investigating a potential account data compromise event of a U.S. based entity and, as a result, we have alerted payment card issuers regarding certain MasterCard accounts that are potentially at risk, the association said. Law enforcement has been notified of this matter and the incident is currently the subject of an ongoing forensic review by an independent data security organization, it related.

Gartner security expert Avivah Litan said she has been told that the stolen data is already being used on the street by identity thieves.

There may be similarities to a late 2008 incident involving a security breach of Visa and MasterCard data being handled by Heartland Payment Systems.

While credit card data breaches seem to be adding up to multimillions in dollar and card losses, plain old bank robberies as compared are chump change.

For example, according to a just released FBI crime statistics report, during the third quarter of 2011, there were 1,094 reported violations of the Federal Bank Robbery and Incidental Crimes Statue, a decrease from the 1,325 reported violations in the same quarter of 2010, according to statistics released March 27 by the FBI. There were 1,081 robberies, 11 burglaries, 2 larcenies, and 1 extortion of a financial institution reported between July 1, 2011 and September 30, 2011. These statistics were recorded as of October 28, 2011.

Highlights of the report include:

Loot was taken in 89 percent of the incidents, totaling more than $9.3 million.

Of the loot taken, 25 percent of it, or more than $1.9 million, was recovered and returned to financial institutions.

Bank crimes most frequently occurred on Friday. Regardless of the day, the time frame when bank crimes occurred most frequently was between 9:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.

Acts of violence were committed in 5 percent of the incidents, resulting in 18 injuries, three deaths, and four persons taken hostage.

Demand notes were the most common modus operandi used.

Most violations occurred in the Western region of the U.S., with 375 reported incidents.

From Security Magazine Security Blog.

On February 27, the announcement was made that Central Station Supervisor Natalia Burey, Central Station Supervisor Murshid Normand and Technician Justin Norris were all national winners in their respective categories.

“These three epitomize the appreciation for our clients that all of their fellow employees have. Natalia is no stranger to the winner’s circle having won three previous national awards. Murshid’s recognition is no surprise to those he works with as he is regarded by many as a first rate trainer and supervisor. And our customers give us great feedback about Justin. His willingness to keep our customer his top priority and his great attitude set an example for all of us” according to Doug Smith, President.

The National Achievement Competition consists of a challenging series of questions and problem solving essays for technicians, monitoring operators and administrative support team members. Submissions are judged by a panel from across the country and winners are selected based on their overall scores.

Natalia Burey

Natalia has been a member of our team for 8 years. This is her fourth time receiving the honor for Top Operator.

“Natalia get the consistency award in my book; Natalia has demonstrated year-after-year that she is one of the TOP OPERATORs in the country,” said Sean Githens, Central Station Manager.

Murshid Normand

Also an 8 year team member, Murshid is receiving his first award as a Top Operator Trainer.

“Murshid has played an instrumental role in the training of new operators” according to Central Station Manager Sean Githens. “ He has proven himself by receiving this National recognition.”

Justin Norris

New to our team, Justin will be recognized in the Technician Shining Star category.

“Justin is very customer oriented and eager. He is a hard worker and we are excited to have him as part of our team,” said James Walker, Service Manager.

Congratulations! We are proud of our team members and their accomplishments.

Carlton Purvis, Security Management