Encompassing approximately 6.7 square miles in the southwestern corner of Pennsylvania’s Delaware County, Upper Chichester Township is home to nearly 17,000 residents. The first road in the township was laid out in the 1680s to provide the horses and carts common in those days with a means of traveling in and around the area. Today, nearly 170,000 vehicles per day travel through Upper Chichester via Interstate 95 and three main state roads.

This amount of traffic in such a relatively small area has at times created challenges for the Upper Chichester Township Police Department, particularly during the morning and evening commute times when traffic is at its heaviest. Because every accident worsens traffic congestion, the department’s goal is to respond to and resolve incidents as quickly as possible. However, this isn’t always possible, especially when it becomes necessary to investigate an accident, whether because of significant property damage, injury or even fatality.

Looking to alleviate these burdens on the department and its officers, Upper Chichester made the decision to install video surveillance cameras at some of its busiest intersections. The township decided these cameras would enable faster identification of accidents and other factors affecting traffic flow, allowing officers to respond more quickly to keep vehicles moving along busy roads.

Working with Exton, Pa.-based systems integrator NextGen Security, Upper Chichester evaluated cameras from a number of manufacturers before choosing network cameras from Hanwha Techwin America, formerly Samsung Techwin. The decision was based on both the cameras’ performance and a recommendation from NextGen, a 2016 SDM Systems Integrator of the Year honoree.

The first phase of the project called for installation of 20 cameras at five intersections. For these applications, NextGen recommended 5-megapixel bullet cameras with IR capability and varifocal lenses. For video management and recording, the integrator deployed Security Center 5.3 from Genetec.

One requirement of the new video system was that cameras needed to be installed on existing traffic signal standards to keep them out of reach of the general public to prevent tampering. Along those same lines, when designing the system, NextGen needed to ensure that cameras would also be protected from dust, debris, harsh weather and other factors that could negatively impact performance and reliability.

Video from the cameras is stored locally on hardened servers at each intersection and monitored from a workstation at the police department. When necessary, video can also be accessed and retrieved directly from patrol cars by connecting to a terminal via an Internet connection. The biggest decision that had to be made, according to Eric Marks, account manager for NextGen Security, was to determine the best method for providing that Internet connection for video transmission. Nearly every company who considered the project recommended a fiber infrastructure, but the cost was simply too high for the township.

Recognizing this, NextGen determined that cellular would not only provide the reliability necessary for video transmission but would cost only one-third of a fiber or traditional wireless solution, which was exactly what the township wanted to hear.

“By thinking outside the box, it quickly became apparent that an LTE cellular solution from Cradlepoint would be ideal for transmitting video as opposed to installing fiber or point-to-point radios at a fraction of the cost, allowing the township to get the video system they wanted while staying within the limited budget they were working with,” Marks said. “At the same time, the Cradlepoint solution would maximize the uptime and reliability of the system, which is vital in any security or surveillance application.”

While the original intent of the system was to provide the police department with an overview of each intersection, it quickly became apparent that additional applications were possible. With some minor readjustments, the cameras could read and capture license plates. Given the potential cost associated with implementing a true license plate recognition system, this expanded usage delivered greater return on investment and contributed to even more savings for the township.

When the cameras went live in August, they immediately paid dividends. On the system’s first day in use, the police department received word that a suspect in a robbery in neighboring Delaware was last reported to be entering Upper Chichester. Armed with a description of the vehicle and its license plate number, officers staked out the most likely travel routes in an attempt to apprehend the suspect, while the newly installed surveillance system covered those five intersections.

“The vehicle wasn’t located by responding units, but the newly installed video surveillance system did capture the vehicle and its license plate traveling in the area,” said Christopher Jones, a detective with the Upper Chichester Township Police Department. “This information was tremendously valuable in locating the vehicle and enabling the subsequent arrest of the robbery suspect.”

Similar scenarios have played out several times since then. Each time, the video played a primary role in collaring the suspects. “Our surveillance system has helped in identifying two additional robbery suspects in separate incidents, both of whom were arrested as a direct result of the video cameras,” Jones said.

Beyond these instances, he added, the Hanwha Techwin solution has provided valuable information in more traditional traffic-related situations, including assisting in the investigation of several serious traffic incidents, one of which resulted in a fatality. Overall, the cameras have created a safer environment for Upper Chichester residents and those who are simply passing through the town.

“These cameras are helping the Upper Chichester Township Police Department improve community safety and are strengthening our efforts to deter, identify and solve crime,” Jones said.

As a result of the quality, performance and effectiveness of the system, the police department has made some changes in deployments in order to take even greater advantage of the cameras’ capabilities.

“The system has proven to be so helpful that we’ve reconfigured several intersections to allow us to monitor for more specific things we know the cameras are able to capture,” Jones added.

Because the video system has so far exceeded the police department’s expectations, there are plans to install cameras to monitor five additional intersections.

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