Located in the foothills of Los Angeles County, California, Rowland Water District, deployed a virtual fence utilizing video analytics to secure its service yard and facilities from theft. Local systems integrator, Secure Site Solutions (SSS), integrated the facility's video surveillance, access control, and intrusion to form a comprehensive new perimeter security system. The virtual fence system composes of 16 Honeywell Security analog cameras, VCA, DVR and an access control system.
The facility found its remote and isolated location attractive to thieves looking to steal vehicle batteries, scrap metal, tools and fuel. “We found intruders were cutting through the fence around the service yard that surrounded the wildlife refuge, and trying to detect people in that area isn't easy,” said Ken Deck, GM at Rowland. “The challenge we faced to secure the perimeter was finding a solution that was easy to use, affordable and required few adjustments to our day-to-day procedures.”
The district's previous security system supported access control, intrusion and video surveillance, but each of those systems worked independently of each other. There was no collaboration between the intrusion and video surveillance to monitor events, or proactive notification to alert law enforcement an event was taking place. “There were instances when we wouldn't know if equipment had been damaged or stolen from the service yard for a couple of days,” Deck said.
Rowland's newly integrated system uses eight high resolution D/N fixed cameras with video analytics embedded inside, DVRs, and an additional eight cameras for video verification to construct a virtual perimeter around the facility.To establish the fully integrated security system, SSS tied the DVR into Honeywell's access control platform and intrusion system. In configuring the video surveillance system, SSS chose fixed cameras to ensure they were always watching their assigned fields of view. “With PTZ cameras there is always a chance the camera will not be parked when it's needed and it misses an event,” said Michael Cowell, President at SSS.
The installation and configuration of the district's video analytics solution took one month to complete. “We found the installation to be quick and straightforward,” said Cowell. “The piece that normally takes the longest is configuring the analytical rule.”
Benefits from the fully integrated security system include a reduction in false alarms and improved law enforcement response times. By consolidating the multiple systems onto a single platform, they now work seamlessly together and are managed through a single user interface – increasing operational efficiency. Video verification of events has also eliminated the need for district staff to verify alarm events in-person –increasing personal safety.
“We can arm the entire security system at once by using our access cards, instead of having to arm each of them individually,” said Deck. “This allows our off-hours service personnel to enter the yard while the perimeter protection system is armed without triggering a false alarm.”
Compared to using traditional perimeter protection systems, the district also saved money by choosing video analytics. “By using video analytics we were able to secure the district's full perimeter with only a few cameras,” Cowell said. “Compared to a traditional perimeter protection system, we would have had to install dozens of sensors, trench for and install underground conduit and run wire.”