IP-based cameras enhance police awareness of Baltimore County schools
One View was part of a $3.7 million project to improve school safety, with One View accounting for about $250,000 of that expense. The county funded the majority of the project, but about $1 million came from revenue generated through speed cameras.
The county is already exploring opportunities to expand the reach of its video network. It is in talks with other agencies, such as the Maryland Department of Transportation, about memorandums of understanding stipulating how to connect different user communities. The arrangement would be permission-based, meaning each agency would decide which video feeds to share.
“One of things we’re really looking at on the public-safety side is malls and other areas that have camera systems and being able to pull them in quickly,” Stradling said. “So, we’re looking at expanding this quickly out to other privately held places, open, public places—anything that has a camera and is willing to share it with us.”
Officers have added the cameras to their routine patrol. If there were an event outside of that, a notification—a 911 call—would be needed to alert officers, Stradling said.
“Right now, we don’t have any smart cameras, so to speak, on the front of the school that would be looking for signs such as an armed suspect,” he said. “That is something we’re looking at for the future.”
The police department is also purchasing 12 to 15 portable cameras that can be place in the community for special events, such as a major road race or a water main break.
Meanwhile, the county is seeking funds to replace analog cameras at the middle and high schools with open, IP-based cameras.