Cell phone videos accepted by 911

Police departments in New York have taken a new stance with technology at the forefront. 911 calls or emergency calls, will accept text messages, photographs taken on cell phones or videos from cell phones.

The procedure would be as follows:
1. When someone calls in, the dispatcher will take the details of the crime and assign a special code to the report if there are pertinent photos or videos taken by the caller
2. A detective will call the person with instructions on how/where to send the information

This highly increases the chances of criminals being caught in the act since the chances of being caught on civilians' cell phone videos or photos are much greater. The beauty of this is that these new rules lean on the everyday patterns of New Yorkers (text messaging and videos).

Cradle's NVSS has a superior quality video especially when its streaming over the internet. Through the CradleWatch software, you are able to view extremely high quality video on your PDA or cell phone.

Bank thieves caught but better security measures needed

Last month there was a robbery in Admedabad at the Nagrik Sahakari Bank. The doorman Hardik Darji, worked there for many years and was a trusted employee. He was the mastermind behind the entire plan. He left the bank strongroom (vault) door and a window open one night.

His five accomplices then broke into the locker room and pried open 14 lockers using crowbars and screwdrivers. They stole cash and jewellery valued at approximately Rs. 20 Lakh. They then tried selling the jewellery to jeweller Bharat Soni, owner of Gopi Jewellers.

A bank setup like this would require a specific surveillance system setup. Cradle's Networked Video Surveillance System (NVSS) could have assisted in catching the people immediately as they entered the bank, through motion detection sensors. If set up properly, the opening of a vault door would trigger alarms and alert bank authorities and police immediately.

As it is, the police tracked them down by leaning on Darji's friends through their mobile phones. As a result, Paresh Patel, Chandrahas Barot and Mahesh Mochi have been arrested along with the jeweller Bharat Soni.

Great job to the police department of Mehsana! The bank will obviously have to consider better security measures for itself. A networked surveillance systems such as Cradle's can go a long way in protecting everyone's best interests!

How video surveillance makes a difference!

There was an article recently in the NY Times which discussed the burning of the Governor's mansion in Texas. It was a 152 year old mansion that was undergoing extensive renovations. Police suspect arson.

Through the use of video surveillance tapes, they were able to determine the time of the fire, quoted as 2am. Police have also spotted a person of interest standing in the surveillance video.

This just occured on Monday evening June 9, so the police are still looking into the details of the case. Obviously any identifying details of the person will most likely be kept confidential, but there was something that helped tip off the police.

Whether you own a mansion, or want to safeguard your business assets on your factory floor or retail location, a surveillance system is now the standard for securing your business and conducting your business.

In this particular case, it was used to identify what happened and when. Hopefully, the police will be able to identify the "person of interest" using a high video resolution and capture the person who was responsible.

Something to think about!