Government Security Consulting Case Study
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio, the 15th largest city in the U.S., has more than 787,000 residents and covers more than 210 square miles. Like most metropolitan areas, street crime concerns residents. In 2010, city leaders decided the use of public safety video cameras in select neighborhoods could help reduce crime and improve citizens’ perceptions of personal safety.
Due to the complexity of the technologies and processes involved, the city’s Department of Public Safety contacted SRMC to support its acquisition and implementation efforts.
APPROACH:
Determining how and where to best use public safety video in Columbus was a collaborative, interactive process. Led by SRMC staff, a 12-hour collaborative learning effort was designed to help key city administrators understand the opportunities and challenges of implementing this technology and give them a realistic assessment of its capabilities and potential costs.
This session included representatives of the Mayor’s Office, Public Safety, Police, Fire, Utilities, IT, Purchasing, Legal and other entities to align the vision.
Working through the Mayor’s Office and Columbus City Council, important—and invaluable—input from neighborhood commissions and individual residents was also sought.
The assessment and planning process included:
Significant input from the Columbus Division of Police, incorporating crime data and observations from hours of ride-alongs with street officers and supervisors
Data transmission routes and capabilities identified by the Department of Information Technology
A sightline and spectrum evaluation and valuable cooperation from the Department of Utilities
A resulting highly-effective design effort
“SRMC has earned my trust and I consider them part of my extended team. They do not limit their support to the issues at hand; SRMC shares and will build on your vision.”
Results
Columbus Public Safety video went live in late 2011 in five neighborhoods with more than 110 fixed and pan/tilt/zoom video cameras. SRMC developed system specifications and coordinated the effort to select the technology and system integration team deemed most capable of completing the installation on time and within budget.
Throughout the installation process, SRMC staff monitored activities and validated testing of subsystems to ensure professional workmanship and total compliance with the specifications.
As a result of the first phase success, the city is expanding public safety video cameras’ use in additional neighborhoods with SRMC’s assistance. Today, after several additional phases, there are more than 350 cameras on the system and it continues to grow.