A TEXAS SCHOOL DISTRICT’S COMMITMENT TO SAFETY

Discover what one school is doing to increase safety and security on campus and why they chose BearCom to help deploy their solution.

When newly appointed Bastop ISD Chief of Police/Director of Safety and Security Scot Bunch arrived on the job, one of his first priorities was to learn about the school’s security system. He was pleased to learn BearCom had been selected by the team for their expertise to provide a state-of-the-art surveillance system. 

Surveillance cameras had been installed and operating in Bastrop ISD for years, but the security team at Bastrop recognized an upgrade was needed to maximize their efficiency. The outdated analog cameras in place were low resolution and had limited storage capabilities. At best, footage could be stored for up to two weeks before the system reached its maximum capacity. Investigating an incident often took tedious hours of sifting through footage and tracking an individual from camera-to-camera was not possible. In addition, the team had no real way of extracting and storing a video clip for first responders or internal documentation.

Access Control for exterior doorways, hallways and classrooms was minimal, leaving points of entry into the school open and unattended. This allowed for gaps in security, creating potential for unauthorized personnel to be on campus. While a specific incident never occurred in Bastrop ISD to prompt this upgrade in security, recent statistics from the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) suggest that campus security is a growing concern for many schools.

SCHOOL SECURITY ON THE RISE

IES reports the percentage of students ages 12–18 who observed the following safety and security measures at their school, Years 2001 vs 2017.

With this in mind, Bastrop ISD aimed to achieve these security goals with a new surveillance system:

• Reduce Time and Resources Spent to Locate an
• Incident on Camera
• Improve Storage Capacity of Footage
• Reduce Response Time to Incidents- Being
• Proactive rather than Reactive
• Create Better Collaboration with First Responders
• Improve Documentation and Reporting Capabilities

THE AVIGILON DIFFERENCE

When asked what attracted Bastrop ISD to BearCom and the Avigilon product line, they answered that the analytics behind the camera truly set them apart from competitors. In addition, the resolution of the cameras allows for fewer cameras covering a wider area. This means less maintenance and an overall lower Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) for Bastrop ISD.

Appearance Search

Initiate a search for a person by selecting certain specific physical descriptions, including clothing color and gender. Face Analytics Included in Search Avigilon Appearance Search technology also incorporates the characteristics of a person's face, enabling the technology to search for the same person, even if items such as their clothing change over time.

Tracking Capabilities

Cameras are integrated to track a person of interest from camera-to-camera and even from campus-to-campus.

Shareability

Incidents can be extracted from footage, exported, and shared with other security personnel or public safety officials as needed.

Gun Detection

Using a complex database of weapon imagery, security personnel can receive alerts if a weapon is detected by the cameras. 

WHAT WAS BEARCOM’S DEPLOYMENT STRATEGY?

BearCom began the project with a Needs Assessment, which included a site walk of each campus and discussions with key decision makers at each school to determine where coverage was required. Using the Avigilon System Design Tool, the plan was brought to life using a blueprint of each facility to map out surveillance coverage for areas where students congregated most such as courtyards, gymnasiums, and hallways, while also covering less frequented areas such as the perimeter of the building, side doors, and parking lots. With the start of the school year approaching quickly, the team needed a way to upgrade their new camera dystem while the existing system remains fully operational without lapses in surveillance. Fortunately, the Avigilon AI Appliance allows for an easy integration of third-party IP cameras, which provides server capabilities, video storage, network switch connectivity, and smarter analytics for legacy cameras, meaning little to no downtime for the cameras or security personnel.

A PHASED APPROACH

Before the year’s end, Bastrop ISD plans to have almost 500 surveillance cameras deployed across 15 different campuses. 150 of these will be new Avigilon cameras with advanced analytic tools. Other security measures will include Access Control points in limited restriction areas such as the ROTC Center.

GOALS AFTER COMPLETION

Bastrop ISD is confident the installation of Avigilon surveillance cameras and access control points around their schools will help keep both students and staff safe, and will allow their personnel to be more proactive rather than reactive. Bastrop anticipates the added security will not only deter future criminal activity but also provide more peace of mind to parents and students that their schools are a safe zone.

IS FUNDING AVAILABLE FOR THESE PROJECTS?

Bastrop ISD used the Lease Corporation of America (LCA) to finance the project over six years. LCA works closely with Motorola Solutions and BearCom to find affordable financing opportunities and funding assistance for schools for communication, safety, and security projects.

ABOUT BASTROP ISD

The Bastrop Independent School District is a proud public school system in Texas spanning nearly 450 square miles of Bastrop County, making it one of the largest school districts geographically in the state. The district includes 15 school campuses and serves 11,500 students. Bastrop ISD is also the largest employer in the area with approximately 1,500 employees including teachers, administrative staff, and partners in maintenance, operations, transportation and child nutrition.

ABOUT BEARCOM

For almost 40 years, BearCom has designed and delivered high-performance wireless voice, video and data communication solutions that boost operating efficiency and increase safety for customers. With over 80 locations and 1,000 employees across the U.S. and Canada, BearCom is Motorola Solutions’ largest wireless solutions provider and integrator. To learn more about BearCom’s Security Solutions, Contact Us at (800) 527.1670 or [email protected] or Visit us Online at www.bearcom.com