Blending the diversity of a big city with the charm of a small town, Addison, Texas is one of the Dallas area's most popular destinations, offering more than 170 restaurants, 22 hotels, and 118 parks, all within an area of four square miles. With just 13,000 residents, Addison boasts a business and daytime population of more than 100,000 people looking for lodging, dining, and shopping opportunities. Driven to provide superior services, an enhanced sense of community, and a safe, high-quality living experience for residents and visitors alike, the Town of Addison has invested in the Avigilon high-definition surveillance system to protect people and property against theft, vandalism, and injury.
Challenge
Provide a safe, high-quality living experience for residents, and visitors and protect against theft, vandalism, and injury.
Solution
At the 150,000 square-foot Athletic Club, 33 Avigilon HD 1MP, 2MP, and 5MP cameras monitor the entrances, swimming pools, racquetball courts, gymnasium, surrounding parking lots and outdoor areas. 26 Avigilon HD 1MP and 8MP 180 JPEG2000 HD Pano Dome cameras monitor key areas across the 44,000 square-foot Conference and Theatre Centre, and 33 Avigilon HD 3MP cameras were installed at the 20-acre Addison Circle Park, with another 18 portable Avigilon HD 1 MP cameras added during large events. The Town manages the Avigilon high-definition surveillance system using the Avigilon Control Center Network Video Management Software (NVMS) and stores up to 30 days of continuous surveillance video at the Athletic Club and Conference and Theatre Centre and 90 days of footage at Addison Circle Park on four Avigilon Network Video Recorders (NVRs.)
In with the New
With an outdated surveillance system that was difficult to manage and Pan-Tilt-Zoom (PTZ) cameras that were unreliable, the Town of Addison decided to upgrade to a more advanced and user-friendly surveillance system that could deliver excellent image clarity and better performance. “Many of our PTZ cameras were failing and the OnSSI software was complicated and cumbersome, making it difficult to effectively monitor key areas across town,” explained Chad Hancock, network specialist at the Town of Addison. After looking at several options, the Town of Addison selected the Avigilon high-definition surveillance system based on the recommendation of Convergint Technologies, a local provider of surveillance system design, installation, and support. “The Town of Addison specified ease-of-use, performance, and affordability as key system requirements,” explained Phil Kertz, sales manager at Convergint Technologies, LLC. “We recommended the Avigilon high-definition surveillance system because we knew it would effectively meet the Town's current and future needs.”
Protecting Key Facilities
Addison is committed to providing friendly, personal, and considerate service to all residents and visitors. With a first-class athletic club, acclaimed theatre, state-of-the-art conference centre, and beautiful park in the heart of town where special events are held 29 weekends of the year, Addison offers a unique – and welcoming – community experience. At the 150,000 square-foot athletic club, 33 Avigilon HD 1MP, 2MP, and 5MP cameras monitor the entrances, swimming pools, racquetball courts, gymnasium, surrounding parking lots and outdoor areas. Twenty-six Avigilon HD 1MP and 8MP 180° JPEG2000 HD Pano Dome cameras monitor key areas across the 44,000 square-foot Conference and Theatre Centre, and 33 Avigilon HD 3MP cameras were installed across the 20-acre Addison Circle Park, with another 18 portable Avigilon HD 1MP cameras added during large events.
The Town manages the Avigilon high-definition surveillance system using the Avigilon Control Center (ACC) software and stores up to 30 days of continuous surveillance video at the Athletic Club and Conference and Theatre Centre and 90 days of footage at Addison Circle Park on four Avigilon Network Video Recorders (NVRs). “Avigilon offers a very impressive surveillance solution supported by a responsive team of experts for greater overall reliability,” noted Hancock. “We are very pleased to be working with Avigilon.”
Faster Search and Export
The Town's previous surveillance system was very slow, making it difficult to search, playback, and retrieve video in a timely fashion. “It was critical that the new surveillance system be easy to manage with advanced search and playback features to expedite the investigation process,” said Hancock, who also wanted a faster way to export recorded video to share with key stakeholders. Before, the process of exporting video would bog down the Town's server, which was both frustrating and counter-productive. Avigilon's use of image compression technologies has dramatically reduced bandwidth and storage requirements as well, leading to even faster search times. “With Avigilon, the ease of searching and exporting recorded video is unmatched.”
Liability Protection
The Avigilon high-definition surveillance system plays a key role in protecting the Town from a liability standpoint – particularly at the Addison Athletic Club, where members may suffer injury or fall victim to theft or assault. “We've witnessed the occasional fight at the gym – particularly on the basketball court – and a few instances of theft in the parking lot,” explained Hancock. Theft can be a problem at the Addison Conference and Theatre Centre as well, where the facility has also experienced vandalism. “The exceptional image clarity and zooming capabilities of the Avigilon high-definition surveillance system, combined with the advanced search and playback features of the ACC software, make it much easier to identify perpetrators and resolve incidents quickly and accurately.” As a result, the Town can better protect itself against false liability claims and save costly payouts.
Crowd Management
“Liability protection is an important requirement at special events as well, where there is almost always a disturbance of some sort that needs to be investigated after the fact,” claimed Hancock. To effectively manage these large crowds, the Town is required to store video of all special events for one year in case a liability claim is filed. “It is absolutely crucial that we be able to effectively search through reliable and high-quality video to correctly identify individuals involved and quickly share with the local police for further investigation.”
Performance in All Conditions
With the Avigilon system installed at Addison Circle Park, the Town can also be assured a reliable, high-performance surveillance solution at all times of the day and night and in all conditions. “Our old PTZ cameras failed regularly because they could not withstand the weather,” noted Hancock. “The Avigilon cameras not only provide a vast field of coverage, they were also designed to handle the elements, providing greater reliability in all weather conditions.”
Budget-friendly Performance
As a small municipality, cost was also a key consideration for Addison. “Delivering the performance we need at a price we could afford combined with lower maintenance and support costs, Avigilon is an incredibly cost-effective solution,” concluded Hancock. “With the Avigilon high-definition surveillance system installed at key facilities across town, we can confidently deliver a safe, comfortable, and enjoyable “small town” experience to all our residents and visitors.”