Guest Editorial by Stephanie Weagle, CMO at BriefCam
Video surveillance has long been a necessary tool for law enforcement to keep communities safe and reduce crime. Yet sifting through hundreds of hours of footage can be time-consuming and slow down investigations.
Video content analytics make this footage significantly more valuable by extracting, identifying and classifying video metadata, making the footage searchable, actionable and quantifiable.
The ability to efficiently review, analyze, and respond to events captured by video surveillance has revolutionized law enforcement operations.
Video analytics help these agencies accelerate investigations, attain situational awareness, and derive operational intelligence.
Crucially, these analytics can serve as a force multiplier by providing insights into crime patterns and detecting threats in real-time.
Speeding the Investigation
Video analytics software can help law enforcement agencies streamline investigations by reducing the time spent reviewing video footage by up to 90%.
It also enables them to search, filter, and identify key video evidence across myriad cameras in just minutes, compared to the hours it would take to manually review. This is critical when investigating both isolated incidents and overall crime patterns.
For example, if an office is burglarized, investigators can limit their video analysis to the time frame in which the incident occurred and rapidly identify suspects.
Additionally, heat maps can be used to identify high crime areas (or “hot spots”), enabling officers to track activity and create strategic action plans.
With sophisticated video analytics, police can identify trends and patterns of people or vehicle activity over time, and determine when and where officers should be dispatched, ensuring critical law enforcement resources are utilized effectively.
Cameras don’t take the place of a police presence, but by enabling rapid review of footage, analytics ensure that fewer officers are required to spend long periods of time on patrol.
Another way that video analytics can assist law enforcement is by analyzing dwell times to determine which areas are gathering crowds and should be monitored more closely.
Real-time alerting for behaviors or patterns of interest allows investigators if a response or action needs to be taken.
Solving Challenging Crimes
Many crimes are eventually deemed unsolvable due to lack of evidence. With video analytics, a police department can rapidly review days of video footage, pinpoint an exact frame, and zoom in to identify a person’s face, vehicle, or license plate.
Facial recognition capabilities allow officers to pinpoint people of interest, create a scalable watchlist, and set up alerts in real-time to detect, track, extract, classify, and catalog persons of interest that appear in videos.
Similarly, license plate recognition allows law enforcement to use existing video infrastructure to pinpoint vehicles of interest, manage watchlists, and configure rule-based alerts.
In short, video analytics make it much easier to locate and leverage small but crucial pieces of evidence hidden within hours and hours of footage.
Traffic law enforcement also benefits from analytics software in multiple ways. Line crossing tools provide alerts when vehicles drive in the wrong direction or enter a forbidden area.
Investigators can also rapidly search footage for specific vehicle types, colors, and location, allowing them to solve cases far more quickly than if they had to sift through hours of content.
Finally, in missing person cases, object identification can literally save lives.
For example, if a child goes missing, investigators can review video surveillance and narrow down the search based on characteristics such as the color of their clothing and accessories such as hats and backpacks.
While video analytics software will never take the place of investigators, it is a crucial tool for speeding the investigation process and saves valuable time and resources.
From real-time alerts to long-term trends, the insights that can be gleaned from video analytics are invaluable to law enforcement agencies as they work to keep communities safe.
About the Author
Stephanie Weagle serves as Chief Marketing Officer of BriefCam and leads the company’s global marketing initiatives and accelerates market adoption of its industry-leading video analytics solutions.
Before joining BriefCam, Weagle was vice president of Marketing for Corero Network Security, where she led global marketing for the company’s cyber-threat mitigation product portfolio, and previously held senior marketing roles at Lionbridge Technologies and Novell, Inc.
BriefCam® is a leading provider of video analytics software that enables people, companies, and communities to unlock the value of video surveillance content.
Delivering accurate, flexible, and comprehensive solutions, BriefCam’s video analytics platform provides valuable insights for accelerating investigations, increasing situational awareness, and enhancing operational intelligence.
BriefCam Selected as a New Finalist in 2021 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards
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American Security Today’s ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards program is today in its Sixth Year and continues to recognize the Outstanding Innovations of top firms and agencies in the Homeland Security and Public Safety fields.
The Annual ‘ASTORS’ Awards is the preeminent U.S. Homeland Security Awards Program highlighting the most cutting-edge and forward-thinking security solutions coming onto the market today, to ensure our readers have the information they need to stay ahead of the competition, and keep our Nation safe – one facility, street, and city at a time.
American Security Today is pleased to announce TSA Administrator David Pekoske, will join the organization as a featured speaker at the 2021 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Awards Presentation Luncheon, on November 17, 2021 at ISC East in New York City.
“On the heels of an unprecedented global pandemic, continued unrest in our cities and potentially catastrophic cyberattacks on our nations critical infrastructure, the focus of the 2021 ‘ASTORS’ Awards Luncheon will be on the latest, state-of-the-art innovations that are driving investments in new public security and safety technologies and systems,” said AST Editorial and Managing Director Tammy Waitt.
“As a recognized expert in crisis management, strategic planning, innovation and aviation, surface transportation and maritime security, David Pekoske’s message highlighting his top priorities and challenges for the TSA based on his years of wide-ranging experience will be critical to our attendees internalizing the critical nature of these escalating challenges, and realizing innovative new approaches to meet them.”
The 2021 ‘ASTORS’ Awards Program is Proudly Sponsored by AMAROK, Fortior Solutions and SIMS Software, along with Returning Premier Sponsors ATI Systems, Attivo Networks, Automatic Systems, and Reed Exhibitions.
Additionally, the First 100 Registered Attendees to receive autographed copies of the Latest Book by Legendary Police Commissioner, Bill Bratton, who will be Live at the 2021 ‘ASTORS’ Awards Luncheon.
‘The Profession: A Memoir of Community, Race, and the Arc of Policing in America’
The epic, transformative career of Bill Bratton, legendary police commissioner and police reformer, in Boston, Los Angeles, and New York When Bill Bratton became a Boston street cop after returning from serving in Vietnam, he was dismayed by the corrupt old guard, and it is fair to say the old guard was dismayed by him too.
The Profession presents not only a fascinating and colorful life at the heights of law enforcement leadership, but the vision for the future of American policing that we sorely need.
At ISC East 2021 you with the opportunity to interact with a broad array of security industry professionals.
ISC East works closely with other businesses in the security and public safety space to help bring together the Northeast’s largest security trade show each year.
Therefore, the ISC audience of security dealers, installers, integrators, consultants, corporate, government and law enforcement/first responder practitioners will be joined by the ASIS NYC audience of major corporate managerial-through-director-level national and global security executives.
The combination of one-on-one conversations with the industry’s top innovators, integrators and security executives, special events, high-quality education and training, and strong support from industry associations, will allow attendees to learn and evaluate solutions from leading security exhibitors and brands.
With the integration of the Natural Disaster and Emergency Management (NDEM) Expo, the show is moving even further into our reader’s wheelhouse!
Your ‘ASTORS’ Awards Luncheon registration includes complimentary attendee access to ISC East, NDEM and the ASIS NYC Security Conference and Expo!
Thank take advantage of this exclusive luncheon opportunity to take a break from the show – Invite your team, guests, clients and show visitors to a lovely and affordable plated meal event in the heart of New York City, for a fabulous networking opportunity!
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Go to https://americansecuritytoday.com/product/awards-luncheon/ to secure your seat or reserve a table.
***Early Registration Discount Ends November 1. Limited space available so Register Today. There will be no on-site registrations.
Why American Security Today?
The traditional security marketplace has long been covered by a host of publications putting forward the old school basics to what is Today – a fast changing security landscape.
The traditional security marketplace has long been covered by a host of publications putting forward the old school basics to what is Today – a fast-changing security landscape.
American Security Today is uniquely focused on the broader Homeland Security & Public Safety marketplace with over 75,000 readers at the Federal, State and local levels of government as well as firms allied to government.
American Security Today brings forward a fresh compelling look and read with our customized digital publications that hold readers’ eyes throughout the story with cutting-edge editorial that provides solutions to their challenges.
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The AST Digital Publications is distributed to over 75,000 qualified government and homeland security professionals in federal, state and local levels.
‘PROTECTING OUR NATION, ONE CITY AT A TIME’
AST Reaches both Private & Public Experts, essential to meeting these new challenges.
Today’s new generation of public safety and security experts need real-time knowledge to deal with domestic and international terrorism, lone wolf attacks, unprecedented urban violence, shifts in society, culture, and media bias – making it increasingly difficult for Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, First Responders, Military and Private Security Professionals to implement coordinated security measures to ensure national security and improve public safety.
These experts are from Government at the federal, state and local level as well as from private firms allied to government.
AST provides a full plate of topics in our AST Monthly Magazine Editions, AST Website, and AST Daily News Alerts, covering 23 Vital Sectors such as Access Control, Perimeter Protection, Video Surveillance/Analytics, Airport Security, Border Security, CBRNE Detection, Border Security, Ports, Cybersecurity, Networking Security, Encryption, Law Enforcement, First Responders, Campus Security, Security Services, Corporate Facilities, and Emergency Response among others.
AST has Expanded readership into integral Critical Infrastructure audiences such as Protection of Nuclear Facilities, Water Plants & Dams, Bridges & Tunnels, and other potential targets of terrorism.
Other areas of concern include Transportation Hubs, Public Assemblies, Government Facilities, Sporting & Concert Stadiums, our Nation’s Schools & Universities, and Commercial Business Destinations – all enticing targets due to the large number of persons and resources clustered together.
To learn more about the 2020 ‘ASTORS’ Homeland Security Award Winners solutions, Check Out the 2020 ‘ASTORS’ CHAMPIONS Edition Fully Interactive Magazine – the Best Products of 2020 ‘A Year in Review’.
The Annual CHAMPIONS edition includes a review of the ‘ASTORS’ Award Winning products and programs, highlighting key details on many of the winning firms products and services, includes video interviews and more.
It is your Go-To source throughout the year for ‘The Best of 2020 Products and Services‘ endorsed by American Security Today, and can satisfy your agency’s and organization’s most pressing Homeland Security and Public Safety needs.
From Physical Security (Access Control, Critical Infrastructure, Perimeter Protection and Video Surveillance Cameras and Video Management Systems), to IT Security (Cybersecurity, Encryption, Data Storage, Anti-Malware and Networking Security – Just to name a few), the 2020 ‘ASTORS’ CHAMPIONS EDITION has what you need to Detect, Delay, Respond to, and Mitigate today’s real-time threats in our constantly evolving security landscape.
It also includes featured guest editorial pieces from some of the security industry’s most respected leaders, and recognized firms in the 2020 ‘ASTORS’ Awards Program.
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For a complete list of 2020 ‘ASTORS’ Award Winners, click here.
For more information on All Things American Security Today, and the 2021 ‘ASTORS’ Awards Program, please contact Michael Madsen, AST Publisher at mmadsen@americansecuritytoday.com.
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