City of Lakeland building better community security
The City of Lakeland is located between Tampa and Orlando in the state of Florida. In a citywide security expansion, the city implemented Genetec Security Center. Today, operators manage a total of 650 cameras and over 450 doors across 53 sites using the unified platform.
The company
Located between Tampa and Orlando, the City of Lakeland is home to just over 100,000 residents, and the surrounding Lakeland-Winter Haven area is home to a population of over 600,000 people. Named due to the thirty-eight lakes in the vicinity, the city’s community and culture thrives from these vast bodies of water in addition to the activities available at numerous parks and recreation centers.
The challenge
While surveillance efforts were in place to keep citizens safe, the City of Lakeland was dealing with many different disparate analog and DVR systems. Lakeland wanted a more robust, and reliable IP-based security system which would help its departments take advantage of the growing fiber infrastructure throughout the city. In 2004, the water utility department first upgraded its video surveillance systems to the Security Center Omnicast™ solution.
The solution
Big upgrade savings
The city lowered its costs by keeping their current hardware. “This was a huge selling point for senior management,” said Lee. “We were able to save around $300 per door and $200 per camera.”
Flexible growth and applications
“The scalability and flexibility of Security Center has been phenomenal. We have been able to accommodate every need or application requested by our city organizations,” explained Lee.
Unique user privileges
While all systems are within one platform, each department has control over their buildings’ video and access control systems. Over 200 users securely access the system with set privileges.
Centralized IT support
The IT department offers convenient and centralized support. “We have become a one-stop-shop for servicing all of our city departments, which saves everyone considerable time.” said Lee.
“We have definitely chosen the right platform as Security Center gives us the flexibility to achieve any objective. It is really impressive to see what we can do with the system.”
Alan Lee, Security and Safety Systems Supervisor, Public Works Facilities, City of Lakeland
Results
Today, Security Center is installed at 53 sites throughout the City of Lakeland. These sites include waste and water facilities, police and fire departments, city hall, libraries, park and recreation buildings, the regional airport, and more. Operators manage over 650 cameras and 450 doors using the unified platform. Over 200 system users have access to the system with specific privileges and over 3300 cardholders can freely move through city buildings.
While the new platform has contributed to keeping city buildings secure, it has also made community life easier and safer. For example, to accommodate community events or city hall meetings, system administrators can implement temporary door schedules to provide citizens with free-flowing access to buildings after-hours. The city has also made policy improvements after catching an incident on camera at the aquatics center.