Historic French city located on the border of Germany, invests in Security Center unified platform for video surveillance and access control to protect citizens and deter petty crime, while preserving the authenticity of historical monuments.
Business Challenge
Located on then north-eastern side of France, just on the border of Germany, is the city of Forbach. Its rich history is showcased by The Schlossberg, a castle that dates back to mid-15th century.
Although charcoal mining once contributed to the original influx of residents, its population sits at about 20,000 people, with another 80,000 spread around its outskirts. As in most small cities around world, the city of Forbach was dealing with petty crimes such as vandalism and instances of theft which left a general concern for the safety of its citizens.
Although Forbach's police department had a small video monitoring system in place, requirements to add more cameras to more vulnerable areas soon became problematic.
The City of Forbach recruited help from long-time partners in information technology services and integration specialists of IP video surveillance, Signma IP. As a Genetec certified integrator, Sigma IP proposed Genetec's Security Center, its unified security platform, which would accommodate their video surveillance needs of added growth and network flexibility, while also providing Synergis, the access control component, to secure the door at their command center, called CSU (Centre de Surveillance Urbaine).
Historic French city located on the border of Germany, invests in Security Center unified platform for video surveillance and access control to protect citizens and deter petty crime, while preserving the authenticity of historical monuments.
Using History as the Catalyst for Cutting-Edge City Surveillance
Security Center's Omnicast video surveillance system manages over 38 IP cameras from vendors Sony and Arecont Vision. These cameras are spread throughout the city's most vulnerable areas. Some High Definition (HD) Sony cameras (SNC-CS50P, SNC-Z25P, SNC-RX550P, SNC-CH180, SNCEP550) were installed in critical areas where there were concerns about lighting or video quality, and the rest are in fixed locations such as on main avenues, or outside schools and other important structures.
Of the 38 cameras, 14 of them are Arecont Vision multi-lens cameras (AV20185 or AV20365) from the SurroundVideoR series. Mostly, the cameras are connected back to the central server located in city hall via a robust and intricate wireless network, custom-designed by Sigma IP. With about 18TB of storage, the city is able to preserve recordings for 15 days.
The municipal police are responsible for managing the system, and use it mainly to conduct investigations once an incident is reported. To easily locate the cameras in the city during critical investigations undertaken by the national police, the city of Forbach is using Security Center's map-based interface, Plan Manager. Without necessarily knowing the ins and outs of the city, federal investigators can find the cameras they need, and conduct quick searches based on time of day to pull evidence.
Taking the Next Steps with Limitless Growth
To date, the city of Forbach has seen success with their Security Center system. From apprehending vandals to addressing more instances of theft, physical confrontations and street crimes, the system has proven its worth.
Other important additions to the system include expanding the Synergis access control system beyond the one door, possibly into other municipal buildings, as well as doing some custom development work to leverage the audio capabilities of certain cameras for some unique parking applications.
Mr. Patrick Karp, Technical Manager at the City of Forbach offered the following advice to other cities contemplating a switch to Security Center: “The openness and unification of the platform were important factors when choosing the solution. Effectively, we now have a system that doesn't limit our development and growth.”