Milestone XProtect Enterprise: a simple and effective surveillance solution. Milestone IP video management offers Cumberland Country Courthouse proactive control of security system
The Sheriff's Office in charge of protecting the Cumberland County Courthouse had an outdated analogue system that provided little useful evidence for prosecutions. Implementing a market-leading surveillance solution based on the user-friendly Milestone IP video management open platform has given them what they need now and in the future, with full overview and proactive control of their security.
Cumberland County Courthouse is a five-story building holding 19 different county offices for 350 personnel, five courtrooms, holding cells, maintenance areas, server rooms and walk-in safes. The Cumberland County Sheriff's Office is responsible for general law enforcement duties as well as serving civil process, prisoner transports and physical security of the County buildings.
"Our previous system was a VHS analogue system that was not worth the electricity it consumed. Not once did it ever provide any useful information for prosecution purposes. Within the three minutes it took me to become accustomed to the Milestone software, I was able to review, save the video snippets to a file, and burn them as needed," says Bryan D. Ward, Administrative Sergeant, Cumberland County Sheriffs' Office. "On a busy court day we will move as many as 60 prisoners from the jail two miles away to our holding cells, to public courtrooms, and back. We now have the right surveillance to monitor all of this to maintain the safety of everyone."
Cam-Tek, a Certified Milestone Partner, collaborated with Sergeant Ward in the implementation of Milestone XProtect Enterprise. The solution includes more than 30 different network cameras from a variety of leading manufacturers such as Axis, Mobotix, Panasonic and Sony, covering the hallways, elevators, stairwells, and entrances, the sheriff vehicle parking, various alleys and roads that surround the courthouse.
The open platform of Milestone IP video management software is unique in supporting the widest choice in surveillance hardware - more than 400 network models - allowing just such a best-of-breed solution. No matter which manufacturers come out with new innovations in future, the courthouse officers will be able to stay on the forefront of technology.The Sheriff's Office now has full control of the entire courthouse, able to proactively handle security risks before things spin out of control. The solution has proved helpful in building criminal cases for prosecution.
"This is a very powerful tool, when you look at the line of work we are in and the special security concerns we face," states Ward. "We were fortunate to procure Federal Terrorism Task Force funding for the installation, and the return on investment is absolutely awesome."