City of Santa Monica
Police Department

Improving Public Safety With
Intelligent Video Surveillance Networks

The City of Santa Monica, bordered by Los Angeles County on three sides and the Pacific Ocean on the west, is home to more than 90,000 residents and draws thousands of tourists to its famous Pier and other attractions each year. Protecting residents and tourists with the highest quality of law enforcement services falls to the more than 400 full-time and part-time personnel of the Santa Monica Police Department.

According to the official Uniform Crime Report (UCR) submitted to the California Department of Justice for 2005 (the most recent figures available) overall crime fell to a new low that year. The report also shows crime has fallen in 11 of the past 12 years in Santa Monica.

Still, the Police Department and City Council are committed to making the City an even safer place to live, work, and visit by employing tactics that expand the police force’s capabilities -- often called a force multiplier -- without adding additional officers and provide a measurable return on investment (ROI).

The installation of a proactive IP-based Video Surveillance System by Leverage Information Systems, Inc. with intelligent video is the latest example of the Police Department’s efforts to protect the City’s citizens.

Adding a New Dimension to Security

As part of its emphasis on enhancing public safety in the downtown area and in response to the Department of Homeland Security concerns, the City determined that the presence of security cameras placed at the Santa Monica Pier and along the Third Street Promenade would aid in public safety and in the detection and investigation of suspicious activity, including potential acts of terrorism.

After evaluating several systems the City Council chose a solution from Leverage Information Systems of Woodinville, Wash., a provider of comprehensive IP communications networking solutions. Leverage’s proactive video surveillance system is based on three key features: a network centric system with IP video cameras, the ability to integrate with the City’s existing security network, and the use of intelligent video, allowing for computer aided event monitoring and automated response.

The Solution

At the heart of the Leverage-designed Video Surveillance System is a peer-to-peer architecture providing a high degree of reliability and flexibility. This enterprise's wide, overlooked attribute is an ASIC based codec that provides extremely high quality video at a low bandwidth.

The City of Santa Monica has also taken advantage of the system’s scalability. Recently, the City installed video surveillance cameras in six downtown parking garages. Because the system is “network centric,” adding the additional video cameras didn’t require added costs of creating a new surveillance system.

Advanced Capabilities: Intelligent Video Analytics

Leverage’s Video Surveillance System goes beyond simple video monitoring. Through video analytics software and the video cameras the Police Department is able to identify suspicious activities. For example, if a video camera detects motion it can send an alert to the central monitoring station, where police can view the activity and take the necessary response actions. No longer do police have to watch monitors as the system automatically alerts them to suspicious activity.

With the installed video surveillance system the Police Department now has the capability of using analytical pattern recognition technology to determine motion detection, shape and object tracking, direction monitoring, and congestion detection.

Extending Public Safety

The Video Surveillance System is enabling the City of Santa Monica Police Department to fight crime and expand the reach of the police force without adding personnel.