POD Camera System Innovator Relies on Toshiba Dome Cameras |
(Archive News Story - Products mentioned in this Archive News Story may or may not be available from the manufacturer.)
Toshiba America, Inc.
34 Parker St.
Irvine, CA, 92618
USA
Press release date: May 5, 2009
IRVINE, CA, May 5, 2009 - Police Observation Devices, better known simply as PODs, were first unveiled in 2003 in a pilot program by the Chicago Police Department. Remote-controlled cameras with zoom and 360° rotation were positioned in weatherproof enclosures to view and record potential crime in the city's high-risk areas. Captured analog video was transmitted via coax cabling back to police headquarters where it was monitored and recorded.
Equipped with flashing blue lights on top and a large police logo, Chicago's PODs provided a highly visible presence that disrupted drug and gang activity. Crime rates in the test areas immediately declined by up to 76 percent, marking a major breakthrough in public safety. Since then, police departments across the country have installed PODs to capture criminal activity or more importantly, to deter it from happening in the first place.
One of the pioneering companies driving POD technology is Comdesco Group. Headquartered in Chicago, Comdesco originated the ARVIS (Advanced Real Time Video Information System) POD. Hundreds of ARVIS are now in use by police departments from New York to Los Angeles.
John Plese, Vice President of Comdesco explains: "Video data is used primarily as an after-the-fact forensic tool because it is largely recorded at the site. As a result, there is no real-time benefit to law enforcement and community safety. Our ARVIS solves this problem by providing a fully integrated live video system, which streams real-time information that can actively protect communities and vital infrastructure more efficiently and cost effectively."
For the past three years, Comdesco has relied upon Toshiba dome cameras for its ARVIS system, most recently the Toshiba IK-DP30A. This day-night PTZ camera brings the benefits of 92-degree tilt, 360-degree continuous pan rotation, 18x optical zoom, IR sensitivity and 480-line resolution to the ARVIS. Auto-flip 180-degree rotation allows for continuous viewing of a subject as they pass underneath the camera, an important feature for any street surveillance solution.
"The Toshiba domes tested well with our encoders and other on-board hardware within the ARVIS that permitted integration into virtually any IP-based infrastructure," said Plese. "The camera's imaging capabilities are excellent, especially at night."
Comdesco has deployed IK-DP30A-equipped ARVIS in a wide variety of public safety applications, as well as in privately owned locations such as housing developments and construction sites.
One recent ARVIS installation was at Illinois State Police District 5 headquarters in Lockport, Illinois, where would-be thieves had been breaking into cars parked in the impoundment lot situated alongside the building. What was ironic was that the cars targeted by the crooks where their own, said Illinois State Police Sergeant Chris Paluch.
"We had several car owners jumping the impoundment lot fence to retrieve their vehicles without first paying their fines. It became enough of a problem that we decided to install a video surveillance system to keep an eye on the lot, as well as keep an eye on our outdoor firing range and the intersection out front of headquarters," Paluch explained.
Comdesco mounted an ARVIS unit on the roof of District 5 headquarters, adding IP accessibility so that authorized users could access real-time video at their work spaces, from home, or even on a Mobil Handheld Unit. Video is recorded on computer hard-drives.
Since the ARVIS was deployed the break-ins have stopped. John Plese at Comdesco credits high- and low-tech for the success: "Just as important as the video technology within the enclosure is the high intensity LED lighting and police logo on the enclosure which act as deterrents.
To contact John Plese at Comdesco please call 708-995-2052 or email johnp@comdesco.com. For information on Toshiba surveillance solutions, visit www.toshibasecurity.com.
About Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc.
Headquartered in Irvine, Calif., TAIS is comprised of four business units: Digital Products Division, Imaging Systems Division, Storage Device Division, and Telecommunication Systems Division. Together, these divisions provide mobile products and solutions, including industry leading portable computers; projectors; imaging products for the security, medical and manufacturing markets; storage products for automotive, computer and consumer electronics applications; and telephony equipment and associated applications. TAIS provides sales, marketing and services for its wide range of information products in the United States and Latin America. TAIS is an independent operating company owned by Toshiba America, Inc., a subsidiary of Toshiba Corporation, which is a global leader in high technology and integrated manufacturing of electrical and electronic components, products and systems, as well as major infrastructure systems. Toshiba has more than 172,000 employees worldwide and annual sales of over US $54 billion (FY2005).
For more information on Toshiba's leading innovations, visit the company's Web site at www.toshiba.com.
Website: http://www.toshibasecurity.com
Toshiba Surveillance & IP Video Tri Nguyen Tri.Nguyen@tais.toshiba.com phone: 949-587-6842
O'Connell Communications Dan O'Connell dan@oconnellpr.com phone: 708-482-0212
Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. 9740 Irvine Road Irvine CA 92618
|
|
|
|
|
|
