Force multiplier: Combining video surveillance with real-time mobile collaboration for faster response

Patrick McVeigh

(Editor's Note: This article first appeared in GSN's "Essential Guide to Video Surveillance," which accompanied our September 2010 print issue.)

For years, law enforcement and government agencies have used a variety of video technologies to supplement their surveillance capabilities. These range from gathering thousands of hours of footage from traffic and dashboard cameras, to monitoring private security feeds and other fixed camera sources. For the most part, this footage is static and siloed, often used more for forensic purposes than to aid immediate responses to developing situations.

As mobile technologies and dispersed workforces become the norm, new highly mobile, video collaboration platforms allow law enforcement to enhance conventional surveillance tactics with dynamic, instant collaboration. These platforms integrate existing fixed cameras and other monitoring tools with laptops, desktops and smart phones to create a secure network where live video, mission critical data and GPS tracking information can be shared with any team member, in any location, at the push of a button.

Because these platforms serve to streamline the communications process between field personnel, operations centers and senior management, they can lead directly to improved operations. Once implemented, agencies can expect enhanced decision support, improved collaboration, rapid creation of a common operating picture and a faster operational tempo. 

For example, most law enforcement agencies face the challenge of securing large events, ranging from annual town festivals to large sporting events to in-town conventions or holiday celebrations. The challenges vary in scale, but are similar in nature: How can a limited number of agents protect sprawling geographies and large numbers of people? 

These are situations when monitoring networks and resource are in overdrive, bringing in countless amounts of video and data to be monitored and analyzed. Adding a platform to the mix doesn’t bring additional complications, but rather faster communication and analysis of developing situations. Personnel in a command center charged with monitoring incoming video who identify a suspicious event or persons can immediately determine the location, find nearby field agents and connect them to the live video feed for a quick evaluation of the situation. In turn, field personnel can focus on the areas fixed cameras can’t reach and send only relevant video back to the command center for analysis. 

The clear benefits of adding mobile video collaboration capabilities to existing surveillance networks make this technology a powerful addition to law enforcement operations. Mobile technology allows organizations to reap a greater benefit from their current investment in fixed cameras and other video tools while simultaneously increasing response quality and speed. Most importantly, by providing more accurate visual information about a developing situation, law enforcement teams can respond faster and more appropriately to enhance the safety of the populations and areas they protect.