Sunday, June 22, 2008

City of Buffalo Deploys Crime Fighting Wireless Mesh

Police in the City of Buffalo, New York are using a wireless video surveillance system from Firetide and Avrio Group to fight crime. The first five arrests were made while the systems installation was still in progress. The suspects were caught on camera burglarizing a convenience store just ten hours after the police camera was installed nearby.


In its initial request for bids, Buffalo requested:

  • The ability to read license plates from 200 yards away.

  • Evidence-grade, real-time video (high-resolution streaming video at 30 frames per second).

  • Wind- and weather-proofing, and good performance in low lighting.

  • Flexibility to add and move cameras in the future.


The current system consists of 56 Avrio Rapid Deployment Surveillance Solution PoleCams -- portable units that integrate Axis network cameras and Firetide wireless mesh nodes in a weatherized enclosure -- plus 37 additional Firetide nodes for infrastructure connectivity. All PoleCams have been installed in overt locations with blue lights and police branding. Some of the cameras are pan-tilt-zoom network cameras that operators can control remotely. The video is monitored by members of the police force who are temporarily unable to patrol the streets, such as injured or pregnant officers. Funding for the current deployment came from the state of New York's Efficiency Grants.http://www.firetide.com