TECHNICAL SCHOOL CCTV KEEPS ALL EYES OPEN • HARRISBURG, PA
For its institution-wide expansion and upgrade, Dauphin County Technical School needed better bells, paging and intercom, next-generation multimedia projectors, new speakers — and a top-of-the-line CCTV surveillance system.
“It just didn’t work,” said Maria Zaharick, the Technical School’s business manager. Old, buggy technology hindered Dauphin County Technical School’s mission to prepare their 800 students for the real world.
The building’s rudimentary PA systems dated back to the 1960s, and some large areas (including the cafeteria) had no sound reinforcement whatsoever. The school’s structure and technology demanded a full overhaul.
But the CCTV in place was perhaps most outdated. The system had low picture quality, and some cameras didn’t switch on at all. Outdoor coverage was especially spotty, with vast security gaps. SAGE promised to help.
SAGE DELIVERS
SAGE replaced existing surveillance with a host of new cameras and powerful Bosch digital video recorders (DVRs). SAGE consulted with building managers to determine the best possible angles to monitor, choosing areas outside doors, hallways, restrooms and stairways. These include day/night cameras, which optimize their wide, dynamic range by switching to black and white below a certain level of brightness.
The cameras send information through three 30-channel DiBos digital video recorders. SAGE connected the DVRs to the network with Category 5 cable, assigning each a static IP address. These would grant seamless, streamlined control to Priscilla Rodriquez, the school’s IT coordinator.
Rodriquez oversees the 80+ cameras herself, running diagnostics periodically and maintaining stored video. Software loaded on PCs and laptops allows officials, administrators and law enforcement to remotely connect to each DiBos unit. Users can search video, tracking down events at specific dates and times, and use the integrated player to burn video evidence to CDs or DVDs. The system can be configured to save specific camera views as favorites for instant recall.
The CCTV system does more than protect: it has instructional uses in law enforcement classes, where instructors demonstrate how real surveillance works. Like those studying cosmetology, auto tech, body repair and graphic arts, law enforcement students can get their hands on functional, evolving technology and learn real-world lessons. Students run cops-and-robbers scenarios, trying to detect and “capture” their peers.As part of a continuing partnership with Dauphin County Technical School, SAGE returned in 2009 to set up a very different sort of camera system for the culinary arts section. A single Sony EVID-D70 camera sends high-definition video to a wall-mounted television, allowing students to clearly see instructors’ actions without clustering around hot, potentially dangerous surfaces. Pan, tilt and zoom controls let teachers alternate between food preparation areas.
EQUIPMENT HIGHLIGHTS
- Bosch VG4 Envirodome cameras
- Bosch VDN day/night dome cameras
- Bosch VDN dome cameras
- Bosch DiBos 8 digital video recorders
- Best Link KVM switch
- Sony EVID-D70 PTZ camera with infrared remote control
- VBrick VBoss portal server and Ethernet TV
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