Milestone Customer Story
July 2012
Ottumwa Police prove Milestone protects and serves
Responsible for the safety of more than 25,000 residents, the Ottumwa Police Department
has improved service and protection of this Iowa town with Milestone XProtect® video
management software and strategically mounted cameras. Crime rates have decreased
significantly with live events streaming to alert dispatchers.
“The 911 and dispatch operators required an easy-to-use system, something that wouldn’t interfere
with their already important duties. From the end-user’s perspective, we’re not dealing with technical
people, so the entire department appreciated a point-and-click solution. Milestone’s user interface
offers a simplified solution, but with a level of professionalism, quality and reliability the force required
to serve and protect the city,” says Darryl Bosak, VP of Operations, Current Technologies.
“The Milestone solution has made a tremendous difference in the safety of downtown Ottumwa. With a
live feed from around the city and instant access to video recordings for evidence, we publicize crimerelated events to the town’s residents to further reinforce safety,” says Jim Clark, Chief of Police,
Ottumwa Police Department.
The challenge: A small city
with a proportionate police
force, Ottumwa, Iowa, had its
share of crime, just like any
city in the nation – thefts,
vandalism, drunk and
disorderly people, burglaries
and muggings. Looking to
help enforce the law and
protect the citizens of the
25,000-resident city, the
police determined that a
video surveillance solution
would help manage crime
and improve the rate of
convictions.
The solution: The City of Ottumwa contracted with technical consulting firm Electronic Technology,
Inc. (ETI) for a system design, while Current Technologies Corporation (CTC) supplied and installed
Milestone XProtect® Enterprise video management software (VMS) and 32 Axis network cameras to
monitor the city streets, improving overall safety for residents.
The advantages: Milestone XProtect software provides a user interface that is quickly learned and
easily navigated by the dispatchers and 911 operators. The police now monitor live feeds and review
the recorded high-definition (HD) video that is archived up to 30 days for evidence at the click of a
button. The prevention factor of the city-wide surveillance, the fast response capability and the
improved conviction rates continue to shine a positive light on the city, its police force and resident
safety.
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Milestone Customer Story
July 2012
City Of Ottumwa, Iowa
Located in central Iowa, Ottumwa is a thriving industrial city with businesses continuously opening and
expanding. As the economic center for its region, the “City of Bridges” aims to continue adapting
security measures to ensure the safety of the residents and businesses across town. While violent
crimes are minimal throughout the municipality, less severe crime has still found its place in Ottumwa.
With a police force of fully capable officers, city officials were looking to support them further with
improved protection of the city through an affordable and effective new technology solution: IP video
surveillance.
Working with consultants Electronic Technology, Inc., the police designed a comprehensive
surveillance system to provide a fully HD video surveillance solution for monitoring the city streets,
with the ability to view and download recorded video from up to 30 days prior.
Milestone’s open platform XProtect Enterprise software supports large numbers and many different
brands of IP cameras, which helped to ensure the police department’s current and future surveillance
needs could be met. Once selected as contractor, Current Technologies Corporation became
responsible for implementing Ottumwa’s Axis network cameras along with the Milestone XProtect
video management software.
The setup
“Our design was based on the requirement for a robust solution that could be expanded when
needed,” states Dan Carr, Senior Systems Integrator, ETI. “Implementing an IP solution such as
Milestone was the only viable solution for Ottumwa.”
CTC installed a wireless Motorola LAN network to power the system’s networking abilities. In about
four week’s time, the Axis Q6032E PTZ dome cameras were
stationed strategically in the
intersections police identified as
problem areas.
“Installing the Milestone system
and cameras was very easy for
our technicians,” says Darryl
Bosak, VP of Operations, CTC.
“The main issues that arose from
this installation were just ensuring
the cameras and networking
solution had enough power to run
24/7.”
The videos feeds travel through the broadband/wireless LAN and are broadcast at the police station
where the operators and a select team of administrators have access. From the station, administrators
assigned to operate the Milestone XProtect software have the ability to control the cameras’ images
live in real time: to zoom in on an event, face or license plate, to take screen "snapshots" for fast
evidence, to move the cameras a full 360 degrees, or to change the immediate views to other
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Milestone Customer Story
July 2012
cameras in an instant.
Operation
The officers immediately began working with the Milestone solution as soon as it was installed. The
improved detail coverage - from checking high-definition shots of faces and license plates to
connecting multiple cameras for establishing a timeline of events - has improved the operations of the
Ottumwa police on a grand scale.
The Axis cameras and Milestone XProtect VMS provide a completely new approach for the operators,
dispatchers and police force. In addition to the live feeds, day-to-day activity on the local streets is
being recorded. Even in a location with little camera cover, the police can monitor where the suspect
had to enter and leave the area and connect the paths of suspects for blocks, getting a better
understanding of the crime, motivation and any activity that may have led up to the event.
“The 911 and dispatch operators required an easy-to-use system, something that wouldn’t interfere
with their already important duties. From the end user perspective we’re not dealing with technical
people, so the entire department appreciated a point-and-click solution. Milestone’s user interface
offers simplified navigation tools, but with a level of professionalism, quality and reliability the force
requires to serve and protect the city,” reports Bosak.
Privacy concerns
With significant support for an improved police force, the notion of 24-hour camera surveillance still
had a vocal minority raise concerns that the local government might take on more of a “Big Brother”
role. The hesitant group opposed to the installation did not feel the additional monitoring would keep
them any safer while engaging in their daily routines.
“The initial concern was that government officials would have unlimited access to the cameras, abuse
the system and infringe on Ottumwa’s citizens’ rights,” says Chief Jim Clark, Ottumwa PD. “After many
cases where the video led to more arrests and a decreased crime rate overall, the residents realized
we are not looking through their windows: the cameras are strictly used for crime-related surveillance
and prosecution.”
Ottumwa PD uses the recorded evidence to publicize convictions from the surveillance project,
reinforcing use of the security solution and providing positive feedback to the community. Realizing
more advantages of the Milestone surveillance system, the police upload screen shots of suspects to
the city’s Facebook page, or email photos to residents to help identify criminals, vehicles or other
information.
“The city applauds the residents for their concern and response to the newly installed system and
thanks them for supporting this extremely effective and beneficial tool for the police department,”
states Lieutenant Mickey Hucks, Ottumwa PD. “The surveillance is working. We can see what needs
to be seen successfully and efficiently with the Milestone solution.”
Reduction of crime
Ottumwa’s success with the Milestone surveillance continues to offer the residents and businesses
peace of mind: the crime rate has decreased significantly since the implementation. The integrated
system with live monitoring allows police dispatchers and 911 operators to have a bird’s eye view of
crimes as they happen, in addition to having the video stored on servers for playback analysis and
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Milestone Customer Story
July 2012
evidence.
The prevention factor of the cameras has also helped bring down the crime rate. Police continue to
earn positive publicity stemming from open communications, highlighting the installation in local news
segments and showcasing evidence to the public after convictions. The department also called a
press conference to announce the surveillance system and gave a complete demonstration with live
feeds after the installation was complete.
“Overall, the Milestone solution has made a tremendous difference in the safety of downtown
Ottumwa,” continues Chief Clark. “We had a crime rate that no one was particularly pleased with, and
now there has been a significant reduction in crimes across the board.”
“There is definitely a new perspective on the safety of our town,” states Hucks. “When we have an
issue, our officers in the field are starting to think even more outside of the box to solve a crime. They
understand that there are multiple cameras surrounding the city and depending on the angle, some
things can be seen by more than one camera. The decline in the rate of crime in Ottumwa has
reinforced this great technology: we are proud to protect and serve our residents to the best of our
ability and then some.”
www.currenttech.net/
http://www.etikc.net/
www.milestonesys.com
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