HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 9385INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS
No. 9385
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council May 24, 2011
Page 1 of 3
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SUBJECT: IMPLEMENTATION OF AN INTEGRATED CAMERA AND PHYSICAL
rF SECURITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
City departments have invested in various surveillance and security systems over the past decade to secure
city facilities and protect citizens and property. Surveillance and security system are being used by
departments in a variety of locations with varying levels of sophistication to meet mission goals:
• TPW operates a network of cameras to monitor city roadways to ensure the safe movement of
traffic on city streets.
• The Police Department operates an assortment of fixed and mobile cameras in high risk crime areas
to protect against and prevent criminal and terrorist activity.
• Municipal Court's Marshal Office operates a network of surveillance cameras and electronic access
control locks to secure city facilities.
• The Water Department employs cameras, access control locks, motion detectors and chemical
sensors at critical water sites to protect against intrusion and ensure the safety of our drinking water.
• Additional independent systems are in place to monitor parking garages, illegal dump sites and
other areas where remote observation and monitoring is a cost effective and efficient means to meet
mission requirements.
Overall, the city gains enormous benefits through the use of surveillance and security systems. A growing
challenge, however, is in leveraging the various systems, and the investment they represent, to get the video
or lock controls in front of the right person at the right time.
Today, if the Police or Fire Department responds to an incident at a water facility or a city facility, the
incident commander cannot access onsite cameras feeds without the assistance of water or security
personnel. During Super Week, incident command staff in the Joint Emergency Operations Center used
two different camera viewing applications to monitor activity. This multi - platform use creates issues in
terms of access to available camera information and training of operators. Additionally, there are other
private and public organizations in Fort Worth who have invested in surveillance resources. In some cases,
those organizations would be willing to allow city agencies to view select cameras, but again, different
systems create barriers to sharing video information during emergencies.
The Office of Emergency Management (OEM), at the request of stakeholders from Water, Police, and the
Marshal's Office, supported a proof of concept project in October 2010 to evaluate a common operating
platform for video systems. The proof of concept called for demonstrating that a single viewing platform
was capable of capturing and displaying video from Water, Police and the Marshal's Office at one time.
Working with a private vendor, staff was able to successfully transport video feeds from each department
into a common viewing application.
OEM, in partnership with ITS, is currently conducting additional research on common operating platforms
for video systems that would allow any camera system supplier's video system to be viewed and potentially
controlled from a single place. The diagram below offers an overview of how we hope to connect the
various security and surveillance systems in the Fort Worth area. By investing in a common
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS
INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS
No. 9385
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council May 24, 2011
Page 2 of 3
SUBJECT: IMPLEMENTATION OF AN INTEGRATED CAMERA AND PHYSICAL
rF SECURITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
software /platform to connect the different surveillance and security platforms, we believe departments can
protect the investment in their current systems, while encouraging an economical alternative for sharing
critical information (video) with public safety agencies. An important part of this concept is providing a
way to securely connect with community partners who are willing to share their video resources with City
public safety agencies.
FORTWORTH
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May 24, 2011
There are still several questions and issues staff is researching before a recommendation can be made on
the type of system that will best meet Fort Worth's needs:
• Network Layout
• System scale (size, growth, phases)
• Cost sustainment
• Legal issues related to sharing video between the public and private sectors
A work group will be formed to discuss these issues with companies who can assist in developing and
implementing a video fusion platform system for Fort Worth.
Staff plans to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) in the next two to three months for the design and
deployment of a common operating platform for shared video systems. We will come back to Council in a
few months to brief you on the results of our research and the RFP process.
If you have any questions, please contact Chief Rudy Jackson at 817-392-6805.
.Tom Higgins
Interim City Manager
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