Secure $15 million in assets, protect staff and members, and meet key insurance requirements while maintaining an open environment where members can freely enter and exit to receive services
Secure $15 million in assets, protect staff and members, and meet key insurance requirements while maintaining an open environment where members can freely enter and exit to receive services.
Solution
Brooklyn Cooperative's staff manage the system from their desktops using Avigilon Control Center (ACC) with High-Definition Stream Management™ (HDSM). The company installed Avigilon HD 5 MP cameras with exceptional low-light performance on the exterior of the building to monitor all entrances. Avigilon HD 1 MP and 2 MP cameras were installed in other high-traffic areas including: the ATM vestibule, main lobby, teller station, office area, workshop, and storage and server rooms. Brooklyn Cooperative stores 120 days of continuous surveillance footage on an Avigilon Network Video Recorder (NVR) – a vast improvement over the 30 days previously attained and a top insurance requirement. The credit union can also monitor the system remotely from home during off-hours.
Benefits
Brooklyn Cooperative can meet and exceed the requirements set by their insurance provider to ultimately lower premiums. With detailed coverage of the ATM vestibule, the credit union can also resolve claims of debit card fraud to lower liability costs. Brooklyn Cooperative monitors the storage area and offices to protect confidential member information from loss or theft. Users can search and locate footage in a fraction of the time of the previous system. The company has also eliminated the risk of false alarms by being able to monitor the system remotely during off-hours before contacting police. Brooklyn Cooperative has had no network bandwidth issues since deployment and plans to integrate its new branch when it opens later this year for central management.
* Meet insurance requirements
* Resolve debit card fraud claims
* No network bandwidth issues
Brooklyn Cooperative Federal Credit Union Creates Safe, Open Environment to Help Members Build Assets with Avigilon High-Definition Surveillance System
As New York City's fastest growing credit union, Brooklyn Cooperative is dedicated to supporting the economic development of two of the city's most under-banked and low-income neighborhoods, Bushwick and Bedford-Stuyvesant. By offering a range of services to its 6,800 members (including homeownership and foreclosure prevention counseling, free tax preparation, and core financial services), Brooklyn Cooperative helps families and businesses build assets and secure their economic success. With workshops and financial counseling sessions running after hours, Brooklyn Cooperative operates outside traditional bank hours in an open environment. Security solutions suitable for closed banks, such as time stamps, physical gates, and motion detectors, are not practical in this environment. To secure its $15 million in assets, protect staff and members, and meet insurance requirements while ensuring member accessibility, Brooklyn Cooperative deployed the Avigilon high-definition surveillance system for its exceptional image quality and detail, efficient storage, and ease-of-use.
Security in Open Bank
Located on one of the city's busiest streets, Brooklyn Cooperative's main branch spans a city block, with both front and back entrances. The credit union has an ATM vestibule, teller station, and main lobby at the front, offices in the center, and an open workshop area in the back. Files are stored in the basement, which also houses several additional offices and the server room. “Our physical location and unconventional hours make security a challenge,” explained Samira Rajan, CEO at Brooklyn Cooperative Federal Credit Union. “We selected the Avigilon high-definition surveillance system on the recommendation of a board member who is responsible for physical security at a large bank in Manhattan.” Rajan chose to partner with Digital Provisions, Inc., a local technology integration company, for their expertise, support services, and cost.
Range of Coverage
Staff manages the surveillance system from their desktops using Avigilon Control Center with HDSM. The company installed Avigilon HD cameras ranging from 1 MP to 5 MP for complete branch coverage. “The fact that Avigilon offers such a wide range of cameras was a top selling feature for us,” commented Rajan. The credit union installed Avigilon HD 5 MP cameras with superior low-light performance on the exterior of the building to monitor all entrances and installed Avigilon HD 1 MP and 2 MP cameras in all other hightraffic areas. “By installing higher resolution cameras in only key areas and leveraging Avigilon's advanced motion detection technology, we lowered our investment costs and can store 120 days of surveillance footage – a vast improvement over the 30 days we previously attained to help meet a key insurance requirement.”
Lowering Insurance Costs
While asset protection and staff safety are top goals for the new high-definition surveillance system, so too is the ability to meet critical insurance standards. “The Avigilon high-definition surveillance system allows us to meet insurance requirements such as achieving 120 days of storage and delivering indisputable evidence for police investigations,” explained Rajan. With coverage of the ATM vestibule, which is a target for fraud and debit card misuse, the credit union can more accurately address false liability claims to save money and lower insurance premiums. Brooklyn Cooperative can also monitor the storage area and offices to protect confidential member information from theft. “I expect to lower our premiums because we will be in a better position to meet more insurance requirements,” added Rajan.
Smooth Operations
After a brief training session, Rajan and her team were up and running on the Avigilon high-definition surveillance system in no time. “Avigilon is a thousand times easier to use than our previous system,” stated Rajan. In fact, Rajan was able to quickly investigate a report of stolen funds using the Avigilon Control Center software. “We identified the perpetrator in less than 10 minutes and successfully recovered the lost funds.” Rajan has also been impressed with how easily the Avigilon high-definition surveillance system has integrated into its existing network. “We've had no glitches or bandwidth issues at all – it is running very smoothly,” observed Rajan.
Eliminating False Alarms
With the ability to monitor the surveillance system from home, Rajan can rest easy that the credit union is safe both day and night. “Previously, any motion would trigger the alarm and our monitoring firm would automatically call the police, resulting in more than 60 false alarms,” said Rajan. “Now, the Digital Provisions service center can check footage before calling the police, giving us greater peace of mind.” Employees now enjoy a greater sense of security and are no longer distracted by old security procedures such as panic buttons, motion detectors, and time stamps, which required time and effort to properly manage.
An Integrated Future
Another advantage of the Avigilon high-definition surveillance system is its scalability, which will make it easy for Brooklyn Cooperative to integrate its new branch when it opens later this year. “I am looking forward to having a coherent surveillance system that can be centrally managed,” concluded Rajan. “We are very impressed with how well the Avigilon high-definition surveillance system addresses all our requirements, performs as promised, and will meet our future needs.”