Mission
Tired of camera failures and low quality images with an
old analog surveillance system, the Grant Parish
Sheriff’s Office sought out a solution that could bring its
cameras back online quicker while potentially adding
better resolution and quality to the images it was being
fed. Knowing that there was a better solution out there,
it was only a matter of resources to move on
implementing new network cameras.
Solution
Under direction from the Director of IT, the Sheriff’s
Office deployed a series of Axis fixed cameras to include
multiple with 360-degree views, setting itself up for a
premium system without too many moving parts. A
control tower commands the access control throughout
the facility while also monitoring three monitors of
camera streams, soon to be four.
Result
Within minutes of putting up the first camera, staff
identified multiple issues on site taking place. The Axis
cameras have allowed the sheriff, warden and guards to
maintain a safe and secure environment while being on
the lookout for any incident that may have before fallen
under the radar. PTZ capabilities of multiple cameras let
the sheriff zoom in to activities as close as he needs
when there is cause for concern and he may be off-site.
Standing guard in the Pelican State
Situated in the middle of Louisiana, Grant Parish is
home to just a tick above 24,000 people across its
roughly 660 square miles of jurisdiction. The sheriff’s
office in the town of Colfax connects with multiple
government facilities, including the detention center
and other offsite buildings. Despite the shortcomings of
a previous analog system, the sheriff’s office looked to
Axis initially for video encoders to help get failing DVRs
back up and running.
With a glimpse of success using the AXIS M7016 Video
Encoders, the sheriff’s office began a replacement
process to integrate new Axis network cameras into
their system running on Milestone XProtect® Pro. The
initial call just to get the feeds pulling through again
turned into an entire IP conversion.
Taking care of business
The feature areas of the detention center that calls for
surveillance technology are the two main dormitories,
which house about 50 inmates per space. Within those,
there is a large open area with tables and the back half
lined up with bunks for the inmates. AXIS P3225-LV
Network Cameras throughout the facility give staff
HDTV 1080p views of the ongoing activities while one
AXIS M3007-PV Network Camera is deployed in the
center of each dorm looking down, providing an array of
views with its 360-degree capture.
“Everyone that sees the video has said the same thing,
that it’s incredible how well we can see now compared
to what we had,” disclosed Corporal Bryon Taylor,
Director of IT of the Grant Parish Sheriff’s Office. “The
video quality is just light years better than what we had.
Also, the reliability, ease of use, ease of access to it. The
Axis stuff is just top notch.”
Keeping results positive
Within minutes of installing the first Axis camera, staff
identified contraband in the dormitory area. “We saw it
easily with the new cameras,” noted Corporal Taylor.
“With the analog equipment, inmates didn’t have to
hide it at all. They even knew what we were doing but
still didn’t think that the quality was as good as it was.”
Utilizing a control tower standing two stories high in
the center of the facility, the live video and footage are
viewed simultaneously by guards as well as by other
individuals off-site. The sheriff, for example, streams
video onto his cell phone and iPad while on the go, and
pulls up the views on his desktop at his office without
missing a beat.
“I’ve been able to play back data after complaints, or
look back at incidents,” said Sheriff Steven McCain of
the Grant Parish Sheriff’s Office. “It has been easy to
use. We had a complaint about an inmate’s father
bringing in contraband, and we were able to go back to
the date and time to catch the guy bringing it into the
facility. Before, we couldn’t be sure if somebody had
something. Now, the pictures are crystal clear and have
allowed us to do so much more.”
Remarking on the supplementary uses of the system,
Sheriff McCain spotted an unforeseen function of the
cameras as well. “Now the deputies know that we have
the ability to watch them, too,” he said. “This was unan
–
ticipated; these cameras have helped to get rid of a
level of complacency with staff as well.”
Looking around town
Beyond the dormitories, the sheriff’s office is looking to
upgrade other spots to IP, like the lobby area. With a
stream of cameras still surfacing over the Axis encoder,
the plan is to replace all of those over time, allowing
staff to centralize servers and make it easy to connect
to the entire system. Further, the office would like to
implement more outdoor PTZ network cameras along
with a potential mobile deployment, as they had seen
with the Sheriff’s Association in the State of Louisiana.
Before, with analog camera
After, with Axis network camera