University safety in suburban setting with Axis

Mission

Sitting at the midpoint between the metropolitan areas of Chicago and Milwaukee, the suburban University of Wisconsin-Parkside campus is patrolled by a fully certified police department requiring video surveillance in areas where personnel cannot always be on site. An analog system was not cutting it both in functionality and picture clarity, as officers sought a solution that could give them more answers.

Solution

Working with an Axis Communications representative, UW-Parkside Chief of Police and Public Safety Jim Heller selected a variety of Axis network cameras to cover many open areas on campus. Utilizing both fixed and PTZ models, the department also deployed four image sensors on one of its patrol units to keep watch over the actions of that vehicle when it was on the road. Cameras go mobile

With a campus made safer by cameras in key areas, the police department has made initial efforts to equip their four patrol units with camera feeds as well. Their first mobile unit, consisting of four sensors fed through an AXIS F44 Main Unit, is wired through a new four-door, full-size Dodge Ram truck.

Two sensors point forward from the front windshield, with one maintaining a tight focus for basic traffic stops and the other giving a wider view for a broader perspective. A third sensor oversees the rear seats to monitor passengers with a final sensor shooting out of the rear bumper to view behind the vehicle.

Overhauling an antiquated analog system, Parkside moved to IP video and has since added about 75 cameras over the five years since switching to the new technology. The initial push was to update older analog cameras around the police department in addition to adding new video coverage to some of the parking areas

Result

The response to the cameras has been extremely positive, as the demand from other departments to add coverage to their spaces has been constant. The police department has added cameras each year to new areas, giving academic and operational departments access to those feeds and thereby providing a more secure environment for students, faculty, staff and campus visitors.