{"280961":{"#nid":"280961","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Keeping Tech Safe","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EImages flashed across 10 screens on the front wall.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThere\u2019s video of street action both in and around Georgia Tech\u2019s campus. Take a look over there and you\u2019ll see people walking along Fowler Street. Another screen shows action at the intersection of 10\u003Csup\u003Eth\u003C\/sup\u003E Street and Hemphill Avenue.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlthough the room feels like an air traffic control center, it\u2019s really an enhanced operation center at the Georgia Tech Police Department (GTPD).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe department installed 26 cameras along the major arteries leading into campus. This creates a video fence around the perimeter of campus and allows for a broader view of what\u2019s going on in real-time, Interim Chief Rob Connolly said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis is just another tool for us to keep the campus safe,\u201d Connolly said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn deciding where to place the cameras, GTPD reviewed prior incidents and access points to determine which locations would have the most impact. The department already has the ability to patrol more than 600 fixed building cameras scattered around campus.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESix students \u2013 who work part-time \u2013 patrol the cameras, seeing things officers can\u2019t. The cameras provide aerial and broader street views and have the ability to observe different angles and zoom in and out.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe officer\u2019s vantage point is what can be seen on foot or in the car,\u201d said Walter Warner, the operations center manager. \u201cNow we have an extra set of eyes on campus.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EVideo analysts provide dispatchers and officers with additional information about a suspect\u2019s location and physical description. When there is an active incident, they can observe patrol officers to ensure their safety.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EConnolly said GTPD is collecting data to measure the effectiveness of the cameras, and that effort is already making an impact.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA camera caught a young man inappropriately touching a female student. The operations center staff zoomed in on the footage, getting a close-up of the perpetrator. A police officer recognized the subject, having just stopped him for behaving suspiciously on campus.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECampus police warned other law enforcement agencies to be on the lookout for the suspect, and he was quickly arrested at nearby Georgia State University.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EVideo analysts can access recordings up to a month old, said Jeremy Tallant, a senior majoring in chemical engineering who is the lead technical assistant. Tallant, 38, is a veteran who served in the U.S. Navy for eight years as an air traffic controller.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHe and other analysts keep their eyes open for anything potentially dangerous, such as larceny, reckless driving, or students walking alone. If they notice a potentially hazardous situation, they alert a dispatcher who decides whether to send an officer to the location.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETallant\u2019s time at the operations center has changed how he views campus police.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0022Many students think only of the patrol officers when they think of the police, but it is amazing how much more goes on behind the scenes,\u201d Tallant said. \u201cEveryone at the police department is dedicated to their mission and really cares about the students.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECampus police expect their capabilities will only grow. In time, GTPD will have full interface with the Atlanta Police Department\u2019s Video Integration Center.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis is just the beginning,\u201d Connolly said. \u201cWe are continuously finding new ways to fight crime on and around campus.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Enhanced operation center allows Georgia Tech Police Department to better protect students, campus"}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGTPD recently installed 26 cameras along the major arteries leading into campus. This creates a video fence around the perimeter of campus and allows for a broader view of what\u2019s going on in real-time.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Video cameras around periphery of campus give GTPD another tool to protect students, campus"}],"uid":"27918","created_gmt":"2014-03-05 13:38:40","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:15:58","author":"Laura Diamond","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2014-03-05T00:00:00-05:00","iso_date":"2014-03-05T00:00:00-05:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"210071":{"id":"210071","type":"image","title":"GTPD patch","body":null,"created":"1449180018","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 22:00:18","changed":"1517410138","gmt_changed":"2018-01-31 14:48:58","alt":"gtpd patch","file":{"fid":"229324","name":"d3YEoCrZ_400x400.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/d3YEoCrZ_400x400.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/d3YEoCrZ_400x400.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":51349,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/d3YEoCrZ_400x400.jpg?itok=QefwesRG"}},"280971":{"id":"280971","type":"image","title":"GTPD enhanced operation center","body":null,"created":"1449244184","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 15:49:44","changed":"1475894973","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:49:33","alt":"GTPD enhanced operation center","file":{"fid":"198922","name":"14c10740-p1-010.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/14c10740-p1-010_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/14c10740-p1-010_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":1155366,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/14c10740-p1-010_0.jpg?itok=BmmAkCAq"}}},"media_ids":["210071","280971"],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"2408","name":"campus safety"},{"id":"5049","name":"crime prevention"},{"id":"2543","name":"GTPD"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ELaura Diamond\u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003EGeorgia Tech Media Relations\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-894-6016\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["laura.diamond@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}