New York
On the Anniversary of 9/11, NYC Looks at New Threats Complicating Terror Fighting
On the eve of the anniversary of the terror attacks by Al Qaeda that left so many Americans in despair and confusion, there are additional terror threats being pursued by the president, the NYPD commissioner and other security professionals working for New York?s safety. Ironically, some of those threats almost make 9/11 seem like a simpler time, from a law enforcement perspective.
NYPD Officers in Fresh Assault Claims: ?They Were Taking Turns Like a Gang?
The New York police department is facing renewed questions over the conduct of its personnel after a man alleged he was viciously assaulted without provocation by a group of uniformed officers. Santiago Hernandez, 23, claims that he was kicked, punched, and zapped with pepper spray by up to six officers on 157th Street in the Bronx on 18 August. A video of his arrest captured by a nearby security camera and published by the local TV channel ABC 7 shows the police initially frisking him, then handcuffing him, and finally piling on top of Hernandez as he lay on the sidewalk while apparently hitting him with batons.
CaughtOnCamera: Terrifying Video Of The Manhattan Gas Leak Explosion
A new footage has emerged of the shocking explosion this week that killed eight people, injured dozens more and leveled two Manhattan buildings. Surveillance video released by the New York Fire Department shows the harrowing moment the Harlem blast blew out windows, showered debris onto the street and almost seriously injured a passerby. This must have been even more terrifying for the walker passing by! OMG, I don’t know if I would have had the same excellent reaction: stay calm and protect my head! Too bad there are no sound records! Can you imagine? Glass, breaking steal, and screams! An explosive mix!
Source strangesounds.org
Statue Of Liberty Upgrades To New State-of-the-Art Digital Video Surveillance System
Administrators, security and maintenance personnel can choose from a menu of training courses, seminars and webinars, face-to-face meetings at leading trade shows and professional K-12 conferences, funding help, new products designed specifically for K-12 applications and free security assessments. Allegion will be offering a variety of training courses, seminars and webinars to keep administrators abreast of technology and trends in school security. This year, Allegion is serving up two new options. K-12 administrators can choose from an instructor-led course “School Locking Hardware” offered in cities across the U.S. or the Power Hour Webinar Series covering a variety of thought leadership topics. Dates and topics are listed on the Allegion website. Through leading trade shows, education association support and professional events, Allegion education specialists are available for one-on-one discussions to share their expertise on lockdown, key system management and proven access control solutions. They will talk with administrators about their district’s specific goals and how to put a plan in place. Many of these trade shows and other scheduled events can be found on the Allegion website. In their search on how to pay for security and safety upgrades, Allegion can also help schools identify funding allocations, key decision makers who manage grants, provide insight into grant applications and recommend grant writing resources. Allegion utilizes a 24/7 cloud-based database of federal and state grant funding information. Not only does this database provide access to all public and private grants for public and private schools but it additionally details who in […]
Source tinyurl.com
New York Tests Video Analytics For Foot Traffic
GCN LOGO Emerging Tech Blog archive New York tests video analytics for foot traffic Think of it as a benign Big Brother. New York City is testing a new application that analyzes video streams of the city’s streets to glean data about pedestrian traffic patterns. Data showing the flow of people can offer several advantages, say city planning officials, from helping small businesses scout new locations to enabling the sanitation department to anticipate demand for trash pick-ups. "Our goal is to build a real-time data layer about what is happening in the physical world, where people are, by analyzing existing video feeds and using computer vision algorithms on them," said Alexandre Winter, CEO and founder of Placemeter, the company that is providing the pedestrian data to the city. According to Lindsay Mollineaux, a quantitative analyst with the city’s Office of Data Analytics, "We had great city data on business conditions and demographics, but the one thing we really wanted were really granular, neighborhood pedestrian foot-traffic patterns." The city currently uses the pedestrian traffic data primarily to aid those interested in opening small business to determine the most promising location. But there are many other potential applications. "The Department of Sanitation has expressed interest in exploring further," said Nick O’Brien, chief of staff of the Office of Data Analytics. "If they know there’s going to be more activity in an area they can be sure to get somebody out there to clear the trash bins so they don’t overflow." […]
Source gcn.com
Framed For Selling Crack, Surveillance Video Helps Him Sue Police
Busted for selling crack, a New York smoke shop owner used his surveillance system to prove he was set up by a police informant. Donald Andrews, the owner of the shop, says his lawyer will file a wrongful arrest suit against the city, seeking $500,000 from the police department, county and the village. Andrews opened up Dabb City Smoke Shop in Scotia, New York last January. By April he was arrested for selling crack cocaine. In one of his few media interviews since the arrest, Andrews told us about the set up. The Arrest A police informant, James Slater, visited the shop on March 25th and 29th and said on both occasions he bought crack from Andrews. He provided cell phone photos of crack rocks on the front counter of the shop. Around April 11, police raided the shop and arrested Andrews . From the very beginning Andrews asserted his innocence.“I kept telling them that I had video, and I could show them that never happened and that I wasn’t selling drugs. The cops said there was no need for that — that they had me on video, and they had audio. They said, ‘We don’t need to watch your video,’ but the confiscated my system anyway,” he said. He was in jail for five days before he made bail. When he got out, he contacted a lawyer. Grand Jury, Hearing Prosecutors Refuse to Return DVR At his grand jury hearing, he says he testified that he had video […]
Source ipvm.com
NYCHA On Track To Complete CCTV Installation At City Council-Funded Developments By End Of 2013
“Since my appointment as Chairman, we have taken decisive, proactive measures and have made cost-effective choices to ensure a long-term, sustainable approach to security, which has resulted in the installation of more than 5,000 closed-circuit television cameras at more than 500 buildings in the past four-and-a-half years alone,” said NYCHA Chairman John B. Rhea. “As we outlined in Plan NYCHA, all of these process improvements are a direct result of NYCHA’s commitment to making our developments safer and more secure for our residents and communities.” In 2009, NYCHA formed the Safety and Security Task Force, bringing together resident leaders, NYCHA management and the New York City Police Department, as well as other law enforcement stakeholders, to determine how best to utilize allocated funds, and find solutions to improve and strengthen NYCHA communities. The Task Force’s early findings suggested that NYCHA review and evaluate all new CCTV-related construction that had not yet been initiated. The effort led to a more comprehensive, standardized security model that would maximize the use of the City Council’s financial investment, while ensuring community support. The resulting Safety and Security Program included a universal platform for the selection and placement of security enhancements; and a comprehensive approach to security, known as layered access control, which includes modern intercoms and technologically advanced cameras. In 2010, NYCHA had $42 million to provide security enhancements for 85 designated developments. After presenting the new security system options to City Council Members, NYCHA sought and obtained buy-in for the use of […]
Source www.webnewswire.com
Progressive Technologies Used For Surveillance On Moving Waterway Ferries
The 8 million annual passengers that travel the New York Harbor on NY Waterway ferries now do so more safely; they are protected by an extensive, state-of-the-art video surveillance system. The safety system includes hundreds of Interlogix IP and analog cameras, transmitted from moving ferries to a land-based security command center via a fast-roaming wireless mesh network based on multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) by Fluidmesh Networks. Interlogix is a part of UTC Building & Industrial Systems, a unit of United Technologies Corp. interlogix_casestudy PHOTO COURTESY OF INTERLOGIX NY Waterway is the nation’s largest privately owned commuter ferry company, transporting 30,000 riders a day between 22 landings and terminals along a 100-mile corridor in the Hudson and East rivers and upper New York Harbor. While the company has always placed a high priority on security, monitoring real-time events on 35 ferries traveling up to 45 miles per hour, often in harsh weather conditions, can be a major challenge. The solution, paid for through a grant from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, deployed Interlogix cameras connected via Fluidmesh’s MPLS-based wireless mesh network. The network spans the service area and provides seamless connectivity to transmit live video from the ferries, terminals and landings for review by company security personnel. “With this system we can now share information quickly, accurately and in real time with our port partners — New York City Police Department, New Jersey State Police and federal agencies — which is really the key to an effective emergency […]
Source www.sdmmag.com