March 06, 2008

Chicago to Expand Network with School Cameras

[From Daley unveils plans to increase school security :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Education]

Chicago is going to link 4,500 school cameras to police districts, squad cars, and the 911 emergency center. This Sun-Times notes that the existing network includes more than 10,000 public and private cameras. So this means, the 911 center will be capable of monitoring 15,000 cameras. The half million dollar upgrade will be paid for with Homeland Security funds.

School cameras go from cameras viewable only by school security to cameras viewable by 911 dispatchers, squad cars, and police districts. The article notes that the cameras will be accessible only when needed (whatever that means).

15,000 cameras is enormous. I am really curious about the technical infrastructure to integrate those feed and archive them.

There are a whole host of issues with cameras in schools, a previous post on cameras in NYC schools considers some of them.

Update: I confirmed the 10,000 cameras with Fran Spielman, the Sun-Times reporter. "The 10,000 figure includes CTA, airport, city, Park District, McCormick Place cameras, as well as private cameras hooked up to the city network."

Posted by rshah at 09:56 PM | Comments (0)

March 04, 2008

Update on Red Light Cameras in Chicago

[From More red-light cameras coming to Chicago -- chicagotribune.com]

A very informative article on red-light cameras in Chicago. Here is a summary of many of the facts in the article:

69 intersections with red light cameras in Chicago, resulting in 800,000 tickets over the last four years, the tickets cost $90 each, the city has collected $19.8 million in 2006 and expects to collect $50 million this year. By my calculations, this means over the last four years, violators have paid $72 million in fines.

The city has signed a $52 million contract for 220 more red light cameras by 2012. (Plus there are more red light cameras going up in the suburbs because of a new state law.)

Part of the contract "requires technology that will allow motorists to see evidence of their violation online. Using their computer keyboards to enter a city code, license plate number and citation number, drivers will be able to view 12 seconds of video and still photos that officials expect will show the offending vehicles in the intersection with a visible red light."

I am still curious about the effectiveness of the cameras. A previous story claimed a 70 reduction in accidents, but this article states that early data indicates a 24 percent decline in accidents. Also the article notes that violations have dropped significantly at the sites where red light cameras are located:

On average, the number of red-light violations at camera-equipped spots so far has declined 59 percent, he said. At Halsted and 111th Streets, where the devices have been particularly effective, violations have dropped from 105 a day to 10, Bills said. At Ashland Avenue and 71st Street, the decline has been from 44 to about four, at LaSalle and Kinzie Streets, from 39 to four.

Posted by rshah at 11:16 AM | Comments (0)

January 31, 2008

Red Light Cameras in Chicago

[From Police ask for OK on red-light cameras]

There are lots of reports emerging about the effectiveness of red light cameras. Over the next few years, we should get a good handle on the effectiveness of these cameras. However, I was piqued by this story since it had statistics for Chicago. I don't think I have seen the city release statistics before, so I thought it was noteworthy.

Chicago documented a 70 percent reduction in crashes at intersections where red-light enforcement is used.

Posted by rshah at 03:44 PM | Comments (0)

January 29, 2008

Cameras Are of Limited Help in Solving Murders

[From Chicago crime down 3.8 percent, annual statistics show -- chicagotribune.com]

The Tribune article posts an interesting statistic which is relevant for those of us following cameras. Cameras are typically justified in deterring crime and serving as an investigative tool. From what I can gather, cameras aren't solving a large number of murders:

Reluctant witnesses, and an increase in hard-to-solve gang homicides, have contributed to the city's decline in solving murders in recent years. Clearance rates in Chicago fell from the 70 percent range in the early 1990s to the 40 percent range in the first half of this decade. In 2007, about 36 percent of murders were solved, about the same as 2006.

As murder totals have fallen across the country, so too have clearance rates. When using the FBI's method—of counting any murders solved in a year, whether the homicide occurred that year or in previous years—Chicago's clearance rate rises to 59 percent, comparable to the national rate of about 60 percent. But that same national rate was 69 percent in 2000 and even higher in decades past.

So despite all the cameras, DNA analysis, and other fancy CSI gizmo's, its actually harder to solve a murder now than it was 10 years ago. There is an explanation for this, but it doesn't really support using cameras as an investigative tool:

James Alan Fox, a criminologist at Northeastern University in Boston, said it's a nationwide problem. "It's not the ability to solve crimes that has changed," Fox said. "Homicides have shifted away from the easy ones to solve to the more difficult ones to solve. Over the years, perpetrators have gotten younger, homicides are much more likely to involve strangers, much more likely to involve gangs, and there's a code of silence."

Posted by rshah at 10:37 AM | Comments (0)

January 25, 2008

Chicago Murder Statistics (2007)

[From Chicago crime down 3.8 percent, annual statistics show -- chicagotribune.com]

The latest number in Chicago show that murders were down last year. Here are the stats over the last few years for murders:

2003 - 598

2004 - 448

2005 - 448

2006 - 467

2007 - 443

The results show that the murder rate hasn't changed much in the last few years. I won't go into why, but there are lots of possible factors.

Posted by rshah at 01:31 PM | Comments (0)

January 08, 2008

Poor License Plate Software in Tollways

From Daily Herald | Critics call for reform of toll collection system

A story on the toll system in Chicago points out the need to ensure the software you use fits your needs. In this case, cameras are setup to snap pictures of toll cheats. Software is then used to read license plates and send out notices.

A big glitch is that the software can't read all the various permutations of Illinois license plates. Specifically, the software can't read the smaller vertical letters on some license plates such as the PV on the Illinois prevent violence plate. This problem is compounded because nonstandard plates often have the same main letters, e.g., "1234" Illinois environmental plate or "1234" regular plate. This ensures that the standard plate will be labeled as the cheat.

Consequently, slower humans are brought in to check this. Not surprisingly, there are lots of slip-ups. The problem could be averted by updating the software or changing license plates. This is a significant problem. There is already $78 million in lost tolls with tens of millions of dollars potentially lost every year.

Posted by rshah at 12:55 PM | Comments (0)

December 13, 2007

IBM in Chicago & China

From I.B.M. System to Scan Streets at Beijing Olympics - New York Times

A short piece noting that IBM's Smart Surveillance System, or S3 will be used in China and Chicago. It notes that S3 is being integrated into Chicago and the network is already rolled out in China. It will be operational by the time the Olympics begin in August 2008.

Posted by rshah at 02:45 PM | Comments (0)

December 04, 2007

Cameras Now Required for Nightclubs

[From In Chicago, Cameras Now Required for Nightclubs at SecurityInfoWatch.com]

The City Council voted last month to require all late-hour liquor establishments, including bars, clubs and restaurants, to operate with an exterior safety plan that includes security cameras, personnel training, outdoor lighting and measures designed to reduce criminal activity. Under the ordinance, businesses are required to:

- Install surveillance cameras at entrances and exits. Cameras will record from 1 to 6 a.m. Recordings are required to be kept for 72 hours.

. . .

Daniel Sullivan, general manager of Charlie's Chicago, a 4 a.m. bar in Lakeview, said the bar already tries to keep its music low and ensure patrons leave the bar quietly and safely. Sullivan said he installed cameras at the bar for $15,000 -- though he disagrees with that tenet of the ordinance.

"It's an invasion of privacy," Sullivan said. "But what are you going to do?"

Posted by rshah at 08:13 AM | Comments (0)

November 03, 2007

Police to get 280 squad car cameras

From Chicago Sun-Times:
Chicago is going to spend $12.2 million for 280 squad car cameras from Coban Research & Technology. The contract is expanding the initial 30 car pilot program. Here are the details of the camera:

Each squad car is equipped with two cameras that can either be activated manually or automatically when emergency lights are turned on. One camera records those in the backseat. The other is mounted on the windshield and faces forward.

The officer carries a microphone the size of a beeper that records sounds within 1,000 feet of the vehicle. Real-time audio and video can be transmitted back to the district station.

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October 23, 2007

Cameras on All Street Sweepers

From Chicago Sun-Times:
Chicago is looking for companies interested in putting cameras on all 118 street sweepers.

A posting on the city's Web site states that every street sweeper would be equipped with a pair of cameras -- one to capture the image of "the illegally parked vehicle and its surroundings," the other to take a picture of the license plate.

Video evidence would be forwarded to the city's Department of Revenue daily, then mailed to motorists along with the $50 ticket. Contractors would be paid an unidentified fee "for each enforceable citation."

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October 09, 2007

Picture of the Latest Cameras in Chicago

From Huliq:

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October 05, 2007

More Cameras

From chicagotribune.com:
An update on the current state of cameras. Chicago is buying 100 more cameras, bringing the total to 559. [I have no idea what types of cameras are counted to get to 559, my history shows a much smaller number of the latest high-tech cameras since 2004]. Gunshot detection is still buggy and not ready for deployment. The new cameras are smaller than the original cameras and have no lights and resemble street lamps.

Speaking at a West Side news conference, Daley reminded reporters of critics who complained the cameras were invasive when he introduced them in 2004. "They underestimated people who live in this city people who have to deal with gangs guns and drugs on a daily basis," Daley said. "All wealthy people have cameras in all the high rises, suburban areas. ... Why can't the average person in the city of Chicago? Everyone wants a camera. They want to have a camera in front of every home, every block, because they feel much safer."

Over the last 20 months, criminal activity captured by police cameras "directly assisted" in making 1,458 arrests, said interim police Supt. Dana Starks. In the first murder case the cameras may have helped solve, police a few months ago nabbed a suspect in the killing of a 14-year-old boy who was shot not far from the street corner at 23rd Street and Marshall Boulevard where Thursday's news conference was held.

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October 02, 2007

Tracking the Police in Chicago

From the Chicagoist:
The police in Chicago Lawn will be tracked by cell phones with GPS tracking. This is a pilot project that the city hopes to expand. The goal here is to better supervise the police, which should increase their safety and address concerns about police misconduct. The question in the article is whether the officers will accept the tracking. Will the data be used for major crimes or will it be used for minor infractions such as picking up dry cleaning?

I am more interested in how this data is integrated into the overall systems. You could see many uses of knowing exactly where police officers are located for incident response. Also, over the long term, the data could be used to figure out areas that the police are focusing on too much, while overlooking other areas. It could also be used to see what officers are the best responders. Lots of potential uses . . .

Posted by rshah at 03:23 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

October 01, 2007

Update: IBM as Smart Camera Vendor

Here is a brief summary of some of the news regarding IBM and Chicago's venture on smart cameras:

Here are the goals as laid out in the CNN story:

In the first phase, IBM helped the City experts and network engineers to design and implement a surveillance strategy infrastructure to capture, monitor and fully index video for real-time and forensic-related safety applications. This entailed building a unified fiber network throughout the downtown Chicago area, deploying a critical wireless infrastructure to offer flexibility as required, installing hundreds of new surveillance cameras, linking thousands of preexisting cameras to the network, and creating a fully redundant backend system to monitor the video, store the images and allow for business continuity and disaster recovery applications.

The Chicago OEMC and IBM are now teaming to expand the surveillance system and to add analytics that provide license plate recognition, trending projections and intelligent search capabilities to the existing infrastructure. Chicago's security solution is designed to provide several benefits to both city officials and citizens including: real-time video surveillance intelligence for proactive homeland security monitoring; faster response time to emergencies; more effective deployment of emergency responders; and increased travel efficiency through traffic congestion tracking.

IBM is pushing their smart camera technology. I assume its based off the Smart Surveillance System that I previously noted. The system features some security cameras that can detect gunshot sounds that prompt the cameras to turn toward the sounds before automatically calling 911. The system can also read license plate numbers. They are hoping to roll this out to other cities, but Chicago is first.

IBM is collaborating with Firetide and Genetec.

Firetide has a mesh technology that "supports wireless public safety applications ranging from traffic control and VoIP communications to covert and overt video surveillance. The Firetide system allows Chicago's first responders to access databases rapidly and is configured to allow the addition of thousands more video access points in the future." - From InformationWeek

Firetide's mesh network operates within the 2.4 GHz, 4.9 GHz public safety licensed band, or 5.0 GHz band. "Because the technology is radio-agnostic, any license-free or licensed spectrum (can) be meshed," said Bo Larsson, Firetide CEO, in an e-mail. 'Firetide is unique in that our nodes can be decoupled from access points. Sometimes the best location for an access point is not the best place for a mesh node."

IBM chose Genetec's Omnicast as the main video management platform for building the Operation Virtual Shield system.

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September 26, 2007

IBM Smart Camera Vendor for Chicago

From cbs2chicago.com:
Tomorrow (Thursday), Chicago and IBM will announce a partnership to bring IBM's smart camera technology to Chicago. The details are scarce now, but I will update this once I find out more. Here two examples cited in the story for how smart cameras may be used:

For example, the system could be programmed to alert the city's emergency center whenever a camera spots a vehicle matching the description of one being sought by authorities. "Say you've got a report of a white car involved in an incident," said Docknevich. "With analytics and the ability to tag objects and movement you could search for the white cars almost by typing in a query like that at a keyboard."

The system could be programmed to recognize license plates. It could alert emergency officials if the same car or truck circles the Sears Tower three times or if nobody picks up a backpack in Grant Park for, say, 30 seconds. Then the person monitoring the video camera could determine whether police should be sent to check it out, Docknevich said.

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September 24, 2007

A Comparative Perspective on Chicago's cameras

From the San Francisco Chronicle:

A story on the difference between Chicago and San Francisco's use of cameras. Its a rich news story with some good facts (fyi - I talked to the reporter). The story points out that in San Francisco, no one watches the camera footage live, they go back and look at it for serious crimes. In contrast, for Chicago, there are always a few people watching the camera feeds and they use the footage for minor crimes like drinking in public. San Francisco is treading lightly, while Chicago wants to make sure its citizens know they are being watched. Here are some interesting snippets:

Chicago police said that, as of the same day, they had used camera footage in 1,407 arrests, including at least five homicides, since the city began tracking data in February 2006.

"If you were to ask me for change for a $20 bill," said Hendricks, a 40-year-old printer, "I wouldn't give you change. "The camera doesn't know I'm giving you change," he continued. "The camera thinks we're doing a drug deal. The police would come out, and I'm not going through that harassment for nothing."

Flyers distributed in neighborhoods detail several camera-related arrests - for shooting dice, for stealing a street sign for scrap metal and for firing a gun. "This is a way to make it much more effective," said police Cmdr. Jonathan Lewin, who heads Chicago's information services division. "It's a more trustworthy source to say, 'Here's an arrest made because of a camera.' It becomes real."

Chicago police acknowledged a problem that San Francisco investigators have linked to their lack of arrests using cameras: When a serious crime is captured, and the footage is looked at later, the images often aren't sharp enough to identify suspects.

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September 17, 2007

Murders Up in Chicago

From chicagotribune.com:
The annual crime statistics for 2006 have been released. In Chicago murders were up 4% to 467 from 450. For several years, the efficacy of the surveillance cameras was justified by the dropping of murders from 2003 to 2004. Since then murders have held steady and now increased.

One interpretation could be that the camera effect has worn off. The better interpretation is that cameras have very little influence on violent crime. The dip from 2003 to 2004 was due to many factors other than the cameras. (IMHO - I study technologies and not crime)

Posted by rshah at 10:11 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 29, 2007

Looking for Chicagoans for a Photo Essay About Security Cameras

See Subjects for Photo Essay About Security Cameras:

A friend has recently posted this to craigslist. I thought I would post it here in case any readers could volunteer or had suggestions:

UPDATE - the craigslist is dead, but you can email him at trdouglas AT gmail.com

We are doing a photo essay about surveillance cameras. We are seeking people with stories to tell and who are willing to have their photo taken.

These images may later be incorporated into an art photo gallery show to create awareness of security cameras and their presence in everyday life.

-- Have you been detained (rightfully or wrongfully) from an act captured on a security camera?
-- Is your job in a workplace under video surveillance?
-- Do you have a video camera and record/observe police at crime scenes?
-- Are you employed installing security cameras and systems?
-- Were you the victim of a crime that was caught on a security camera? (you do NOT need to have footage of the incident)
-- Does your job include watching security camera monitors?

In exchange for your time, story and willingness to be photographed, you will receive an art-quality print from the resulting photo shoot.

Posted by rshah at 12:20 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 26, 2007

Looking for Chicagoans for a Photo Essay About Security Cameras

See Subjects for Photo Essay About Security Cameras:

A friend has recently posted this to craigslist. I thought I would post it here in case any readers could volunteer or had suggestions:

We are doing a photo essay about surveillance cameras. We are seeking people with stories to tell and who are willing to have their photo taken.

These images may later be incorporated into an art photo gallery show to create awareness of security cameras and their presence in everyday life.

-- Have you been detained (rightfully or wrongfully) from an act captured on a security camera?
-- Is your job in a workplace under video surveillance?
-- Do you have a video camera and record/observe police at crime scenes?
-- Are you employed installing security cameras and systems?
-- Were you the victim of a crime that was caught on a security camera? (you do NOT need to have footage of the incident)
-- Does your job include watching security camera monitors?

In exchange for your time, story and willingness to be photographed, you will receive an art-quality print from the resulting photo shoot.

Posted by rshah at 03:35 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 23, 2007

Chicago Updates

A couple of overdue items for Chicago

CTA Bus Cameras - A Tribune story with much more detail, they use the DriveCam system that was previously discussed here (use the search feature)

Alderman wants to ban cameras sensing devices from SunTimes- basically trying to outlaw devices that will provide warnings of red light cameras or speed cameras - as the article notes, its not going to happen, for more information on the technology, see this article in the SunTimes on the technology developed by Cobra

Finally, the city is using ANPR for parking tickets. Lots of cities have done this, but now Chicago is testing it out, see the Tribune article:

The van drivers make only one trip on a street because the paired cameras simultaneously read license plates of vehicles parked along both curbs. A beeping noise is emitted when license recognition software identifies a vehicle plate that is boot-eligible.

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July 20, 2007

Chicago Focuses on Homeland Security

From NPR:

Cortez Trotter, Chicago's former chief of emergency management was interviewed on NPR. One little tidbit was that privacy was built into some cameras through blinders to ensure they couldn't peep inside buildings.

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June 27, 2007

High-Tech Chopper for Chicago

From Officer.com:
Chicago recently purchased a $2.1 million helicopter (with homeland security funds).

The new chopper has all of the bells and whistles, including night vision instrumentation that allows officers wearing night-vision goggles to see in the dark; a gamma radiation detector that could be used to locate dirty bombs; and a LoJack stolen vehicle detection system. It's also equipped with a special map system, powerful video cameras that can downlink pictures to Chicago's 911 emergency center and a searchlight.

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June 22, 2007

Smart Cameras in North Chicago

From Earthtimes.org:
North Chicago has deployed four Sony surveillance cameras to fight crime.

Each unit is marked with a blue light to indicate its presence. Officers manipulate surveillance equipment from remote locations through the use of the computers in the squad cars. The equipment can also be controlled at city hall.

"The camera software alerts the city of irregular activity," said Deb Waszak, Chief of Staff. "For example, if three people congregate on a specific street corner, the software will send a visual alert to the dispatch center and squad cars."

North Chicago authorities said criminal activity declined in the areas of camera deployment including an 80 percent decrease in loitering, 63 percent decrease in criminal damage, 35 percent decrease in burglary, and a 33 percent decrease in drug related offenses.

Funding for the project was provided by an AT&T Foundation grant.

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June 21, 2007

Smart Cameras inside CTA Buses

From Chicago Tribune:
CTA buses will be transmitting video wirelessly soon. (I wonder if anyone will be able to hack into the footage or whether it will be publicly available). The transmissions will eventually be viewable within patrol cars and the 911 center.

Last month after a gunman opened fire on a CTA bus, killing a Julian High School student, police looked at video tapes to identify a suspect. The technology now being installed would use the same cameras on buses to capture and transmit video images in real time.

Part of the program involves software "to analyze video scenes from buses and rail stations and to issue alerts about activity that might be of interest."

The CTA is also improving radio communications for tracking buses, so within 18 months people can go online and find out when a bus will arrive at a particular stop.

Posted by rshah at 10:40 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

June 14, 2007

What Affects Crime in Big Cities

From Economist.com :
A great article on crime in big cities, including Chicago. Its a must read, especially for those following crime trends in the cities and the impact of surveillance technology on crime. The article is based on the research of Wesley Skogan, a criminologist at Northwestern University. Here are some quotes from the article on the methods that help to reduce crime:

The big cities' methods may sound obvious, yet they are surprisingly rare. Many police forces are not divided into neighbourhood units. Oakland's struggling force, for example, is organised into three daily shifts, or “watches”, which makes it hard to hold anybody accountable for steadily rising crime in a district. Even when smaller police forces track emerging hot spots, they often fail to move quickly enough to cool them down.

. . .

However shrewdly the cops are deployed, they might not have cut crime so dramatically if social trends had not also been moving in the right direction.

The most obvious change is that, thanks in part to high property prices, all three cities are shedding young people. Together they lost more than 200,000 15-to 24-year-olds between 2000 and 2005. That bodes ill for their creativity and future competitiveness, but it is good news for the police. Young people are not just more likely to commit crimes. Thanks to their habit of walking around at night and their taste for portable electronic gizmos, they are also more likely to become its targets.

Another change is that poor Americans have been displaced by poor immigrants—who, as studies have repeatedly shown, are much better behaved than natives of similar means. This trend is symbolised by the disappearance of blacks. Roughly half of America's murder victims and about the same proportion of suspected murderers are black. In five years America's three biggest cities lost almost a tenth of their black residents, while elsewhere in America their numbers held steady.

The key issue for this blog is what is not mentioned in the article, surveillance cameras. In fact, in a draft article on Wesley Skogan's web site, he specifically notes that there is no evidence of the effectiveness of smarter police techniques, such as cameras. (I have known about this article for a while, but decided to hold this back until Skogan was ready to go public - I will leave to the reader to find the actual article).

This is a clear slap to the face of Chicago's PR machine for cameras. Once again cameras are found not to reduce crime. Nevertheless, Chicago will undoubtedly tout the efficacy of the camera network on questionable and publicly unavailable data.

Posted by rshah at 11:22 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 15, 2007

280 cameras for squad cars in Chicago

From Sun-Times:

280 Chicago Police squad cars will be getting video cameras (there are currently 30 cars with cameras). The project will cost $2.2 million. They eventually hope to put cameras in all the cars, but that will take a while since the department has 1,773 marked cars and 1,354 unmarked vehicles.

Each squad car is equipped with two cameras that can either be activated manually or automatically when emergency lights are turned on. One camera records those in the backseat. The other is mounted on the windshield and faces forward. The officer carries a microphone the size of a beeper that records sounds within 1,000 feet of the vehicle. Real-time audio and video can be transmitted back to the district station.

Already, the cameras have provided evidence in 10 court cases, including video of a Christmas Day hit-and-run that was shown to reporters today and prompted a guilty plea. Squad car cameras are widely viewed as a deterrent against police misconduct, but it’s a two-way street. They also shield honest, professional officers from unwarranted citizen complaints, Daley said.

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February 17, 2007

Sound Cameras for Noise Pollution

From PhotoEnforced.com:
Alderman Natarus of Chicago is working on fighting noise pollution with sound cameras. According to his site:

The good news is that we are exploring a new technology that may give us the edge in our efforts to combat excessive motorcycle noise. There is a new device on the market called a sound camera that can take noise readings and automatically issue a ticket just like the red light cameras that are being installed throughout the City.

I am working with Mayor Daley to research the possibility of installing sound cameras in the locations where we get the most motorcycle traffic in our ward.

Its an interesting idea, I just wonder if this is that big of a problem. After all, red light cameras are trying to avert conduct that results in injuries and death. (More than 850 people die and and about 170,000 are injured each year in crashes caused by drivers running red lights according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration - USA Today).

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February 12, 2007

Is Anybody Watching the Cameras in Chicago?

From the Sun-Times:
Chicago is widely known for its surveillance cameras. But when an office duty police officer was mugged next to a camera, the surveillance footage was useless. Apparently, no one had put a hold on the video, despite the fact the victim had filed a police report. The point is - if the cameras couldn't help a police officer as a victim in a robbery, how much can they help the average citizen.

So how could the camera system be improved? While a longer archival period could be useful, it would also be more intrusive. It seems to me there, the city needs to improve communication and set up a system for translating incident reports from beat officers. If the beat officer notes the approximate time and location, a system could automatically archive footage for investigators. My two cents.

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February 05, 2007

Smart Cameras in Chicago

From Reuters.co.uk:

An article discussing the current state of smart cameras in Chicago. (They are slowly deploying it, but no results yet) Here are the interesting snippets.

The port of Jacksonville, Florida, has dispensed with human monitoring of cameras altogether by sending alerts and live video to the personal digital assistant of the nearest officer on patrol, according to a spokesman for ObjectView Inc.

"Cameras are great tools for solving crime. They're not really that helpful in preventing crime," said Ed Yohnka of the American Civil Liberties Union.

Velasquez disputed the conclusion that cameras don't prevent crime, saying he constantly fields requests from residents asking for a camera to make their neighborhood safer. He said cameras contributed to a drop in violent crime in the city of Chicago in recent years, a drop that is widely attributed to improved police work in countering gangs and street-corner drug dealing. At the same time, gang activity has surged in some Chicago suburbs.

The city's prosecutors said they rarely use video evidence in court from the cameras, which are encased in bulletproof boxes topped by blue flashing lights and are a common sight in crime-ridden neighborhoods.

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November 28, 2006

More Cameras at Chicago's Port

From ABC7Chicago.com:
The Port of Chicago will receive $11.5 million from the Department of Homeland Security. Most of the money will be spent on a network of surveillance cameras. The footage will be routed to the 911 Joint Operations Center as part of Operation Virtual Shield. Next year, the city is expected to ask for $4 million, but its not clear if this will be for additional cameras. (I would suspect probably not, because as the story shows, the biggest security problems are around inspecting cargo containers.)

I am a bit confused and hopefully followup articles will clarify these issues. I don't understand why the Port of Chicago is routing its footage to the 911 center. From my perspective, port security and addressing crime in city neighborhoods are two very different tasks. For example, the Port of Baltimore relies on Vistascape to provide perimeter security, according to GCN. The Port also has "real-time intrusion detection technology and thermal and low-light cameras will allow security personnel to monitor fences, terminals, gates, and piers in order to respond to suspicious activities". Monitoring these systems would best be done by people intimately familiar with the port and the routine activities. I don't know why Chicago would have regular camera personnel in the 911 center watching and responding to alerts at the port. Its a mismatch. I assume there is a good reason for routing everything to the 911 center, such as its ability to archive and access footage. But I am curious how the cameras will be monitored.

Posted by rshah at 08:04 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 20, 2006

CBS2 on Chicago Cameras

From cbs2chicago.com:
A story covering the Chicago's use of cameras. No new information for readers of this blog, but it includes a pithy quote from me.

Posted by rshah at 11:08 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

November 16, 2006

100 More Cameras in Chicago

From Chicago Defender:
The 2007 budget includes $1 million line item for an additional 100 crime fighting cameras.

Posted by rshah at 09:18 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

October 03, 2006

New Cameras in Chicago

From Chicago Sun-Times:

The next 100 surveillance cameras in Chicago will be very different from their predecessors. The new cameras are just 15 pounds (compared to 100), unobtrusive (compared the flashing blue lights), and cheaper ($6,000 compared to $20,000). The new cameras can be easily moved and look like a streetlight, so they will be moved in response to crime patterns.

The story updates a previous story on new developments. The police department is still developing technology to allow officers to monitor cameras from their squad cars. Also the smart software is still being tested.

I don't know if the manufacturer is still RMS Technology Solutions. I assume these are IP cameras. I also don't have a picture. Hopefully, more information will be available soon.

UPDATE:
I also wanted to point out the statistics for the cameras in the Tribune story:

At locations where they have been in use for more than 180 days, "total reported incidents have decreased by over 30 percent," and narcotics-related activities by more than 60 percent, Cline said at a news conference.

"While the primary intent is to prevent crime before it happens, we also have been able to make arrests based on video captured by the cameras," he said. "In 2006 alone, [cameras] have directly assisted in 480 arrests."

Posted by rshah at 09:29 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

September 30, 2006

Virtual Shield in Chicago

Virtual Shield is Chicago's project to create an extensive fiber optic network. It will serve as a "virtual shield" for homeland security, public safety, and traffic management.

According to the consulting group Catalyst, the ($25 million) contract was awarded to IBM and is being run by Chicago's Public Building Commission. It will consist of 1000 miles of fiber and be able to integrate cameras into the 911 center.

The current work appears to be focusing on assessing the fiber network and deploying an initial set of IP cameras.

I haven't seen much about this in the press, so if you know anything, please drop me a line.

Posted by rshah at 03:33 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 05, 2006

Chicago To Install 70 More Cameras

There were several stories on additional cameras in Chicago last week. This post summarizes the stories in the Sun-Times (1,2) and Tribune(1,2) to provide details about the new cameras and the current state of the Chicago's surveillance network.

1. Existing Camera Network:

• Over 2000 cameras
• Currently 100 “Operation Disruption” cameras installed in high-crime areas with microwave antennas.
• Keep in mind that there are 37,000 intersections in Chicago and roughly 148,000 different corners.
• Have a dozen suitcases for monitoring cameras from crime scenes

2. Adding More 70 Cameras:

• 50 are next generation and are smaller (35 vs. 100 pounds) and cheaper ($20,000 versus $34,000).
• 20 are the older generation.
• Both versions have zoom lenses, night vision capability and the ability to rotate 360 degrees.
• New cameras are upgradeable to gunshot detection, but until the bugs are worked out the city has only 25 cameras with this feature.

3. Effectiveness:

• Since Jan. 30, officers have made 76 camera-related arrests according to statistics provided by the police department.
• Only half the cameras are monitored around the clock.
• The police department now publicly acknowledges that cameras are not enough and just one tool:

Police Supt. Phil Cline said it’s not enough to “simply install a camera” in a high-crime area. Video surveillance needs to be conducted in tandem with other crime reduction strategies — like flooding an area with personnel from a “targeted response unit” or conducting special undercover operations to disrupt open-air drug markets, he said. “When we put up a camera, that means we’re also implementing strategies to ensure that crime simply doesn’t move down the block or around the corner,” Cline said. “We’ve installed cameras in areas where gangs, guns and drugs are most active with one idea: to hit the gangbangers in the pocketbook by disrupting their narcotics trade.”

4. Work Under Development:

• Allow police officers to monitor cameras from their squad cars.
• Testing software that detects “suspicious and unusual behavior.”
• Finalizing contract for “Operation Virtual Shield”, which will link 1,000 miles of fiber into a core network for future security expansion.
• Signing up companies for having their cameras monitored by the 911 center. Currently 50 corporations including Boeing, utilities, and the LaSalle Street financial district have agreed to join the camera network.

Posted by rshah at 03:09 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

April 24, 2006

Glitch hits O'Hare Cameras

From the Sun-Times:

Apparently the outdated cameras at O'Hare are having problems. The OEMC said that a corrupted data file affected the 1,000 camera network at O'Hare. This corrupted data file affected the "automatic trigger" function for door alarms that automatically sends video of the breach to the dispatcher. Now operators have to manually dial up the video. According to Velasquez of the OEMC, the software is fixed. But the Sun-Times reports that other employees state the camera system is still malfunctioning in many ways. The article states:

"There's a serious, airport-wide problem with the cameras," said a source familiar with the problem. "The cameras are going up and down. They're in service. They're out of service. They're working. They're not working. They come and go. They don't have a picture on the monitor. They don't see anything." For at least a week, dispatchers had no video on their consoles, according to an employee who works at the O'Hare Operations Center. Even after the temporary fix, the system is not working properly, the employee said. "If we got an alarm, we used to be able to choose that camera and look. You can't do that right now. They hot-wired it. Whatever [video] pops up, pops up. We have to send security for every single thing," the employee said.

Part of the problem is that the cameras were installed in 1991 and are now outdated. Velasquez said that the camera system would be upgraded to the new Operation Virtual Shield platform.

The article also notes that the construction of a new runway removed part of a $18 million electronic fence. Originally, the fence had its own sensors that would trigger if anyone tried to climb over the fence. But with part of the fence removed, these sensors are disabled.

Posted by rshah at 09:37 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 18, 2006

Cameras on Buses

From WBBM 780:

The CTA will test a system that allows nearby police cars to see what's happening aboard some of its buses. WBBM's Bob Roberts reports the six-month test will be conducted on the 56/Milwaukee and 62/Archer bus routes.

Cameras board 50 buses will be equipped with wireless transmitting equipment that will allow personnel at several "L" stations, in 16 police squad cars and in four CTA first- responder vehicles to see what's happening.

The images also will be transmitted from the "L" stations over the CTA's fiber-optic network to its Control Center. . . . All CTA buses have been equipped with security cameras and recorders since 2003. Already, CTA has 362 security cameras at 26 stations, and expansions of the wired network are planned.

Posted by rshah at 10:15 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

March 05, 2006

Cameras giving crooks the blues in Chicago?

From the Suntimes:

A newspaper report by Mark Konkol evaluates the success of the cameras in Chicago. Up until this point, the only data on the camera's success has come from city personnel. Konkol reviews the data on four locations before and after the cameras were installed. He also notes the many limitations to any finding of direct causation, because there are lots of variables at play including "weather conditions, traffic patterns, police activity and such." You will have to read the article (and look at the attached graphic) for all the data. Here is part of the writeup:

A look at crime before and after four cameras were installed on the stretch of Chicago from Harding to Homan shows the surveillance cameras can be effective, police say. The number of reported crimes there jumped, along with a spike in drug dealing arrests. In all, there were 67 narcotics arrests at those four locations during the six months before cameras were installed. In the following six months, officers made 179 drug arrests at those hot spots, police said.
"As soon as cameras go in, crime is disrupted, especially narcotics sales. Put cameras where people are selling drugs, and narcotics selling goes away. Open-air drug markets are immediately affected," said Lt. Dave Blanco, who heads the surveillance camera detail.
A closer look at the crime statistics, though, shows it's rather hard to tell -- from corner to corner -- if the cameras actually reduce crime. For instance, at Chicago and Harding, the number of calls to police reporting drug dealing and battery increased 31 percent during the six-month period after cameras were installed. But just three blocks away, at 801 N. Hamlin, police calls for drug dealing dropped 288 percent -- from 175 to 45 -- in the six months after cameras went in.

Posted by rshah at 09:07 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 28, 2006

Lake County Smart Traffic System

From ABC7Chicago.com:

Lake County in Illinois is using an Intelligent Transportation System to reduce traffic congestion. They have two sets of cameras. One focuses on detecting traffic to time traffic signals and the another set monitors traffic.

For instance, a camera at Aptakisic and Buffalo Grove Road automatically shifts positions to check for congestion or crashes. The camera detects the speed of the traffic and computes traffic density. If heavy traffic is detected, the system can automatically adjust the signal timing at several intersections until traffic flow is back to normal.

This information is linked to 911 centers and regional traffic centers. By spring, there will be 74 traffic detections cameras and 24 with pan, tilt and zoom capability. The system is integrated with other information systems, such as highway advisory radio and message board signs.

Posted by rshah at 02:36 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 18, 2006

8 out of 10 Chicagoans Favor Cameras

From Chicago Tribune:

A poll of 700 voters found overwhelming support for Chicago's video security network (I am not sure how the exact question was worded). I don't think this is a surprise, people have always abstractly supported cameras. But the support among voters will no doubt give strength to politicians seeking to mandate cameras.

When the poll asked about the proposal for mandating cameras in businesses that are open 12 hours a day, the survey found a bit less enthusiasm:

58 percent of poll participants were in favor. Support among white voters was only 46 percent, but blacks (70 percent) and Hispanics (67 percent) exhibited much stronger backing.

The story also notes that the proposal to link security cameras in offices, apartment buildings, and other private properties to the city's system is continuing. The mayor has acknowledged a lot of companies have interest.

Posted by rshah at 02:44 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

February 13, 2006

Mandating Cameras for Bars in Chicago

From the Sun-Times :
A proposal that every licensed Chicago business open more than 12 hours a day install indoor and outdoor cameras has been scaled back to late-night bars. Cameras are actually just one part of the proposal, which is aimed at preventing crime and providing better response to late night criminal activities. From a smart camera perspective, the big deal is that the government is mandating cameras for a set of businesses. Naturally, the bars aren't too keen on being forced to buy these systems. Here is more background:

Daley's ordinance, introduced at Wednesday's City Council meeting, would give all of them 60 days to submit an "exterior safety plan" that would require installation of exterior lighting and surveillance cameras at each building exit and the hiring of "adequately trained" security personnel.

The cameras and lighting would have to be good enough to identify people entering and leaving the bar. Videotape would have to maintained for at least 72 hours and be available to police.

Failure to submit the plan to the city's Department of Business Affairs and Licensing would be grounds to deny a late-hour license. Failure to implement the plan to address chronic complaints ranging from excessive noise, fighting and loitering to drug dealing would be grounds to suspend or revoke the late-hour license and all other business licenses issued to that establishment.

A few months ago, Baltimore mandated cameras in its shopping malls, see the previous stories here and here.

Update: USA Today has a story on this (it also quotes me).

Posted by rshah at 02:33 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

October 12, 2005

Mobile Video Surveillance Systems in Chicago Police Vehicles

From Government Technology:

Global ePoint, Inc. has deployed an order from the Chicago Police Department (CPD) for Sequent Ranger 350i, mobile digital video surveillance systems.The deployment is part of a pilot program to install cameras in a minimum of 12 squad cars. According to the CPD preliminary estimates indicate that equipping one squad car with digital video capacity could cost up to $5,000. There are currently 1,800 marked squad cars in the Department's fleet. The Department says it will aggressively seek state funding for the program and will explore what Federal grants are available.

The CPD is utilizing the Sequent Ranger system to deliver streaming video surveillance wirelessly from mobile surveillance vehicles that can be deployed any where in the city. The systems provide a complete end-to-end video surveillance solution; from in-vehicle front-end surveillance to a back-end server for video data management.

The Ranger's video streaming capabilities are currently integrated into the Chicago Police Department's internal Internet. This allows police headquarters to share information with police officers already deployed in the field and other municipal departments.

The Ranger is currently used in various vehicle platforms ranging from a police modified ambulance utilizing a 60 ft. retractable mast for traffic monitoring and special event monitoring, and to allow officials visual access to major incidents. Global ePoint's video streaming capabilities are also used in covert pickup trucks for monitoring high crime areas among offices in different districts.

Posted by rshah at 08:11 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 07, 2005

Chicago to Monitor Private Cameras

From Sun-Times:
Chicago has agreed to monitor cameras for businesses, for an undisclosed fee. The city would monitor cameras through the 911 center. Its not clear to what extent this surveillance will include. Boeing is the first company to take advantage of this. While this is new to Chicago, this practice of linking public and private cameras has a much longer history in the UK.

Posted by rshah at 09:39 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Questions on Chicago's Cameras

Peter over at Public-Eye wants more information on the Chicago camera network. Its not surprising that he is asking this, because while Chicago has received a great deal of publicity about their cameras, the news stories have left many questions unanswered. Here is what Peter is asking:

I would like to see and article and follow-up report on the functionality and effectiveness on these camera... and not a blanket statement in drop in crime rate, because that can be attributed to the pure deterrence factor. Here are my questions:

How many of these cameras are actually "watched"?
How much staff has been added to watch the cameras, maintain the cameras, and respond to the cameras?
How are they responding to things they see on the camera? How often do they fail to respond?
How many crimes have they actually foiled strictly with the cameras?
Who has access to the cameras? Is it only the police? Are they able to deliver live video to federal agencies if necessary?
Do 911 dispatchers have access to this video?
Do the police have access to this video from their vehicles? From other mobile devices?

Posted by rshah at 08:08 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 06, 2005

Update on Chicago Housing Authority Chicago Tribune news : Local news

From Chicago Tribune:
More cameras at CHA. This was first noted back in May.

24 cameras will be installed in public housing. The cameras will include gunshot detection. 5 of the cameras will replace existing cameras around Cabrini-Green with gunshot sensors. 19 more will be allocated based on crime levels and requests by resident leaders.

The NBC5 has some nice quotes:

Daley said city officials are not concerned that the cameras pose a threat to privacy in high-density residential areas.
"When we first started (Operation Disruption), it was very controversial. Some elected officials said they don't want them in their communities. But I'll be very frank, if you go to any wealthy community, any high-rise in suburban areas, they have guards, they have technology, they have cameras. You can't get in their buildings," Daley said.
"Why is it people living in some of these struggling communities can't have the safety that everyone else has?" Daley added. "It's just using technology, it's only on the streets, the sidewalks and the alleys. We do not shoot into someone's apartment or their backyard or their front yard, it's just in public ways."

Posted by rshah at 08:43 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 02, 2005

Illinois International Port District

SecurityInfoWatch.com:

The Illinois International Port District will be getting a major security upgrade in the coming years. Fence sensors, automated video, access control and more will be integrated at a pair of sister facilities on the Calument/Lake Michigan watershed, and building systems integrator Siemens Building Technologies has landed the contract, which includes the creation of a perimeter surveillance system.

The system, when the integration is completed, will give a "bird's eye" view of the combined port facility and can position security data onto that "map" of the facility. State-of-the-art video analytics will be part of the project; software will be used with video data to help identify what each type of object is, based on recordable properties such as the object's height, width and speed.

I

Posted by rshah at 08:12 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

June 23, 2005

Sentri Update

From Northwest Indiana News:

After a successful pilot program, Chicago officials have installed 30 of the devices alongside video surveillance cameras in high-crime neighborhoods, with 12 more on the way, and dozens more to follow, Baker said.

In Los Angeles County, the sheriff's department plans to deploy 20 units in a pilot test, and officials in Tijuana, Mexico, recently bought 353 units, Baker said. Police in Philadelphia and San Francisco are close to launching test programs of their own, and New Orleans and Atlanta have also made inquiries.

SENTRI is the brainchild of Safety Dynamics and Dr. Theodore Berger, director of the Center for Neural Engineering at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Each SENTRI contains a library of acoustical patterns, or "sound signatures," which Berger developed over several years.

Four microphones in the system differentiate gunshots from other noises like traffic and construction by measuring the unique decibel level of a bullet being shot out of a gun, and comparing the sound to its library. That way, a gunshot would activate the system, but a siren or a car backfiring would not, Baker said.

Adding the SENTRI to an existing surveillance camera is not cheap. The system costs between $4,000 and $10,000 per unit, but in Chicago they and the accompanying cameras are paid for with forfeiture money.

Posted by rshah at 05:19 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

June 02, 2005

Velasquez for OEMC?

Chicago Tribune:

Daley also announced Andrew Velasquez III, 36, as his choice for executive director of the Office of Emergency Management and Communications. A former Chicago police officer who now is managing deputy director of operations for the office, Velasquez would succeed Ron Huberman, whom Daley recently named chief of staff.

Posted by rshah at 10:05 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 18, 2005

Mapping Chicago's crime on the Web

From Smart Mobs:
The City of Chicago now has a free browsable database of crimes reported in Chicago. With RSS feeds for every policy beat and every city block! It even uses Google as a mapping interface.

Wow!

This is a great example of how IT can be enabling for citizens while serving to increase transparency of the government. However, note that while the data comes from the Chicago police, the web page is run by an individual, Adrian Holovaty, and the information he uses is there because of the Citizen ICAM. Essentially this data arose out of a project for the police officers, which they later made publicly accessible.

Posted by rshah at 09:38 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Huberman Out!

From Sun-Times:
Mayor Daley is replacing his chief of staff with Ron Huberman. The squeaky clean Huberman is coming onboard as investigations proceed into corruption at city hall.
This is a big deal for the Chicago camera project. Huberman is the IT wizard of the OEMC and was just profiled by Wired, see post. As chief of staff, Huberman will not have the time to carefully tend to the camera project. Hopefully, there are others within the OEMC that can ensure this project is as successful as their other projects. The story noted there is no word on Huberman's replacement.

Posted by rshah at 09:14 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 17, 2005

Chicago Housing Authority to buy 24 gunshot detection cameras

From the Chicago Sun-Times:

Twenty-four police surveillance cameras will go up at CHA developments under a $1.1 million proposal expected to pass the Chicago Housing Authority board today. There are 39 cameras attached to utility poles around the city now.

he video recorders are housed in bulletproof, rectangular, blue-and-white boxes, with a blue flashing light on top. They're called Police Operation Disruption devices, or PODs. They were first introduced in 2003. If a shot is fired nearby, the camera immediately turns toward it, follows the shooter and automatically calls 911.

Under the proposed deal, CHA will pay Huberman's agency up to $1.1 million over five years to install, maintain and monitor the PODs.

Here is a picture of the cameras for the curious:

Posted by rshah at 09:56 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 09, 2005

Spycam Force

Wired on Chicago's IT. The story has a few nuggets, but generally provides an entertaining read on the role of IT in Chicago's police department (with good background on Ron Huberman).
The story mentions that the police will depend upon Verizon's high-speed cellular network to connect to officers in patrol cars.
How Oracle contributed 20 million in time, software, and hardware to get Clear running. Clear (Citizen Law Enforcement Analysis and Reporting) is an IT system connecting several databases to make it easy for officers to find relevant information.
It notes the price of the camera project, Ch