Case Study: Buffalo, NY Police Force Protects Citizens With City-Wide Wireless Video Surveillance

When Mayor Byron Brown took office in 2006, he pledged the people of Buffalo to reduce the city's crime rate. A key part of his plan was to deploy a real-time, city-wide video surveillance system to augment the public safety efforts of his police force. The solution he sought needed high-resolution cameras that could read license plates from 200 yards away and provide officers with evidence-grade, real-time streaming video. Since cameras would be mounted outdoors, they also needed to be wind and weather-proof and perform well even in low lighting situations. Another important criterion was the flexibility to add and move cameras at will to monitor changing high-risk areas.

While traditional 9-1-1 systems have helped police in responding quickly to emergencies, with Buffalo's new surveillance system, officers have been able to be more proactive in keeping city streets safe. The live streaming video from a scene also gives police patrols advance warning of conditions so they can take protective measures to guard their own safety before entering the location.