Force Multiplier

Video Surveillance: An Effective Force Multiplier

In fighting crime police departments and municipal governments are committed to making their municipalities even safer places to live and work by employing tactics that expand the police force’s capabilities or add capabilities they didn’t have -- often called a force multiplier. The challenge has been to increase safety without adding additional officers or increasing already tight budgets.

Municipalities have found one effective solution that extends the reach of their police forces while providing a return on investment (ROI): IP video surveillance from Leverage Information Systems.

IP Video Surveillance Systems are network-based systems consisting of video cameras, command and control workstations, storage, networks, wireless devices, software and video analytics capabilities. These systems perform a variety of functions including monitoring traffic, tracking congestion, detecting motion and theft detection.

Municipal police forces have used video surveillance systems for a variety of applications that are effective force multipliers. For example:

• Monitoring of a municipal park using video analytics shows motion in an area late at night. Knowing individuals should not be there at that time, the system notifies a dispatch center that dispatches an officer to the scene. Use of the system enables the police to respond only when needed, keeping valuable resources positioned where they need to be.

• Police don’t have eyes everywhere so when a video surveillance system with license plate recognition alerted the central office, an officer was dispatched and a wanted felon was apprehended.

• Using video analytics, a video surveillance system programmed to monitor congestion detected crowds gathering in an area that city officials didn’t want to occur. The police were able to redeploy resources and defuse what could have been an explosive situation.

Perhaps one Leverage customer best summed up the “force multiplier” benefit of her video surveillance system when she said: “I want a video system that is proactive so the police can dispatch their officers on site when they’re not here.”

For more information on how a Leverage video surveillance system can provide additional capabilities to your organization while providing a return on investment contact Leverage at 1.800.825.6680.