4 ways transit agencies can improve their evidence management

When there is a security incident, like lost or stolen items to track down, or a report of a potential threat, mass transit agencies need to quickly sift through video evidence and other data to piece together what happened and decide how to respond.  

Yet mass transit agencies are complex, and often decentralized organizations. When decisions about security and IT solutions aren’t made in coordination with other departments it can result in mistakes and inefficiencies. 

1. Save on time and costs

When bus, subway, or rail system are using different video management solutions, following up on something as simple as a passenger’s lost or stolen item can become a time-consuming task. 

Switching back and forth between different systems or dashboards to view and analyze data makes it harder to get a clear picture of events. This back and forth costs time and resources. In contrast, an open and unified security solution can make managing evidence, closing cases, and responding to customer requests easier. 

A unified and open transit security system provides tools and views that streamline and simplify processes, such as:  

• Customizable rules engines to automate standard workflows 

• Map-based interfaces to get a clear picture of the situation on the ground 

• Reporting tools that can be customized to display the data that is most important to your team in a way that is meaningful and actionable 

• Custom dashboards for different user groups 

It all adds up to create a more intuitive view of the flow of people and vehicles through public spaces and secured areas, so it takes fewer steps to respond to events when required. Being able to spot and respond to issues quickly not only saves staff time but also mitigates the potential for costly losses.
 

2. Better manage privacy concerns

Cameras have become much more than just a source of video. Advanced machine learning algorithms have turned them into sophisticated sensors able to generate a vast amount of information.   

As digital surveillance and video monitoring systems become more sophisticated, citizens have become more concerned about the potential implications of their right to privacy. As a result, lawmakers are imposing new regulations designed to protect individuals’ personal information. Is your transit authority doing enough to ensure you’re following best practices in evidence management to protect individual privacy?

A physical security system engineered with privacy by design comes with built-in privacy settings that can ensure that video footage is kept only as long as is necessary and that personally identifiable information is not revealed without justifiable cause.  

3. Limit liability

It’s never been easier to gather video evidence—or to tamper with it. To make sure the evidence you collect will stand up in a court of law, there must be no doubt that surveillance footage and other digital traces haven’t been interfered with in any way.  

Lawyers may demand to see the original, watermarked images when video evidence is a crucial component of a case. Otherwise, there could be questions about whether something might have happened to the footage between the moment when the images were captured on camera and when the evidence was shared with police. 

Your physical security system should be able to store video evidence electronically and then easily retrieve it when needed. Watermarked transmissions and time-stamped files that are fully authenticated should also be a part of the system to send to the police or investigators what they need. This ensures the chain of custody is clear, all the while securing the digital evidence if ever needed to be presented in a court of law. 

4. Ensure flexibility for the future

A unified, open architecture system is key to unlocking long-term value by facilitating the flow and management of data across all your security activities. You get the flexibility to evolve as your challenges and needs change. You can add licenses, modules, and the best hardware from a wide selection of providers—without the headaches of compatibility issues, or upgrading and maintaining multiple systems.  

Want to learn more?

With the increasing amount of new security technologies and sensors available, an open and unified approach to physical security is essential. This is where Genetec Security Center can help. It's built from the ground up to unify all of your data so that you can manage security policies, monitor events, and run investigations. Ready to get on the path to better security?