Vicon Industries announced that it is working closely with the State of Sinaloa, Mexico to create a statewide surveillance network that unifies the systems of all of its metropolitan areas, including the cities of Culiacan, Mazatlan, Los Mochis and others.

The new statewide initiative, built upon Valerus VMS software, will allow for greater coordination between all municipalities and their law enforcement agencies in their efforts to combat the influence of powerful drug cartels entrenched within the region.

Valerus? 100% web-based and true open standards VMS software will provide the state with a more secure, responsive environment capable of providing a single-seat view of its entire security domain.

A new, state-of-the-art facility in Culiacan, the state?s capital, serves as a centralized coordination hub for security and life-safety operations at the city, municipal and state levels.

Expansive video walls, recording servers and monitoring stations provide operators with access to all cameras within their respective domains, with the ability to share video across departments as necessary.

There are currently over 1000 Vicon security cameras in Culiacan, along with 800 special license plate reading cameras custom developed by Vicon for this project.

Ultimately, there will be approximately 4800 cameras in Culiacan alone, with thousands more across the other cities.

M.C. Jose de Jesus Galvez, the state?s Secretary of Innovation and close aide to the Governor, says that Vicon?s Valerus is able to provide a centralized system, with localized control and operation, which is flexible enough to work with much of the equipment already in place in each city.

Plus, the cost to purchase and install Valerus was less than for other video management systems, providing long-term, recurring savings that he will then be able to invest in additional equipment and system expansion over time.

Maria Bustamante-Prada, Vicon?s International Sales Manager, explains, ?Vicon has successfully supported the city of Culiacan?s security needs for many years, and our proven commitment to customer satisfaction was an important factor in earning the confidence of the state. This is a huge investment for them, and they know that we will be there to support them at every step.?

?This is a very ambitious project for us,? says M.C. Galvez. ?We hope to use every function of Valerus to help lower the crime rate and better protect the citizens of Sinaloa. We understand that video isn?t the only way we will achieve this, but it?s a very important part and can help us bring other systems together to be more effective. We?re excited about the possibilities.?

Vicon Industries is a designer and manufacturer of video surveillance and access control software, hardware and components, delivers security solutions that simplify all aspects of the customer experience, including system deployment, management and operation.