New safety solutions address today’s campus life
Binghamton University improves campus safety and security with the latest Axis cameras, speakers, intercoms, and analytics. The integrated solution assists campus police in quickly anticipating, responding, and investigating events.
Meeting the challenges of a modern urban campus
Binghamton University, formerly a small liberal arts college serving local veterans returning from World War II, today ranks as one of the top public research universities in the United States. Set on a picturesque, wooded hillside above the Susquehanna River, the sprawling 930-acre campus in Vestal, New York encompasses more than 120 buildings. Part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system, Binghamton also manages a satellite campus in downtown Binghamton and a 15-acre health sciences campus in nearby Johnson City.
As the university grew in complexity and size, Binghamton realized its aging physical security technology no longer provided the nimbleness needed to address contemporary campus life. To rectify the situation, the university’s IT Department embarked on a complete overhaul of the school’s security solution. The technology team’s first step was to install Genetec Security Center, a unified security platform, to centrally manage all the university’s separate security systems: video cameras, access control, intercoms, and mass notification. Then, they set about replacing broken and obsolete cameras with more than 1500 advanced network cameras from Axis.
The next upgrade they tackled was the university’s existing Alertus emergency mass communication system. To improve the sound quality of broadcasts and have the flexibility to push out messages campus-wide, to select zones, or even page an individual, the team integrated a network of Axis cabinet, ceiling, and horn speakers with the Alertus system. They then turned their attention to upgrading campus emergency call boxes with 2N IP Safety all-weather emergency intercoms.
“Our device count continues to grow and evolve in response to the degree of threats we’re seeing on our campus and across the country,” says Dave Martin, Security Infrastructure and Support Department for Binghamton University. “Our goal is to make sure the technology helps our university police department stay situationally aware of what’s happening on campus before, during, and after any kind of critical incident.”
Getting a broad view of campus activity
Keeping close watch over the campus has been much easier since revamping the university’s security system. “We’ve installed a lot of wide-angle and 360-degree cameras within the campus, including ones with pan/tilt/zoom features,” says Tony Mollo, physical security technology specialist for Binghamton University. “We recently deployed an array of ultra-high-definition PTZ cameras on the library tower in the middle of the campus that gives us an all-seeing eye across the entire grounds. They’re really versatile. We can see for miles if we need to or zoom in really close.”
Traffic management is another area where the Axis cameras are proving valuable. “We have them focusing on intersections, allowing university police to see all four directions at once,” explains Mollo. “The police can change the preset positions as needed, such as during an accident investigation. And they can always review the recorded video for more information.”
Managing permit parking more efficiently
The university issues a variety of different types of parking permits, each granting specific parking lot privileges and permissions. The permits are tied to individual license plates and managed by Parking Services. Currently, Parking Services uses Genetec license plate recognition (LPR) cameras on their vehicles for permit-based authentication in designated lots, but gate access remains manual via ID cards.
Looking for more efficiency, the university is exploring ways to streamline campus permit parking and is currently testing Axis cameras equipped with automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) technology. This potential upgrade aims to modernize gate access, moving away from the existing ID card system. "We're looking into using Axis ALPR to potentially replace our current ID card authentication system and enhance our parking management," shares Dave Martin.
Thanks to Axis technology, we’ve been able to elevate campus safety far beyond what we initially envisioned. We’ve also captured business intelligence we can use to increase efficiencies in our day-to-day operations.
Providing a backup for dorm entry
Like at many universities, Binghamton students need to swipe their access cards to enter their dormitories. “It’s a safety issue. We want to be sure that random people can’t just wander into those buildings without an escort,” shares Tony Mollo. “But sometimes students lose or temporarily misplace their cards.”
To remedy that problem, Binghamton installed 2N IP Verso and 2N IP Solo video intercoms at dorm entrances. The devices allow a student to ring the residence hall administrator who can verify the student’s identity and residency in the building before remotely buzzing them in.
The university also uses these video intercoms to screen visitors looking to enter other locked areas of the campus such as office suites.
Gaining predictive insights with analytics
Martin’s team sees analytics, like those embedded in the Axis cameras, as the future of critical incident response. “This kind of advanced use of the system, making our university police situationally aware of what’s going on before it actually happens, is mind blowing,” declares Dave Martin.
“Things like object analytics – people counting, vehicle classification, and things like that – can give us actionable insights,” explains Tony Mollo. “For instance, we can count how many people are occupying a certain area of the campus which might indicate a situation that bears investigating.”
Martin sees an opportunity for Binghamton to use analytics for business intelligence as well. “People want to know where their efficiencies lie,” he explains. “Analytics can provide metrics to help us direct our resources better and run our operations more efficiently.”
Elevating elevator security
One of the latest security projects in progress is an upgrade to the 80-plus elevators on campus. Each elevator is equipped with AXIS Q9216-SLV Network Camera that is designed for corner mounting. The camera’s wide-angle lens gives campus police a clear view of the entire elevator cabin as well as the scene outside the elevator when the door opens. Eventually they plan to add a 2N emergency video intercom that can be activated by a passenger as needed.
Keeping pace with ever-changing campus life
As a complement to the outdoor emergency stations around campus, Martin and his team are currently designing new emergency stations for indoor locations. The stations will include 2N Verso video intercoms, an Axis strobe siren and lifesaving equipment like defibrillators, Narcan emergency kits, and basic medical supplies. “We’re hoping to install these stations in 70 locations,” says Martin. “This will allow people at the scene to alert campus police and provide critical emergency assistance to the individual until responders arrive.”
Disappointed that the university’s current body worn cameras don’t provide live view capability, the university has begun field-testing Axis body worn devices for its police force. “We want to be able to capture audio and video situational awareness as incidents unfold,” states Martin. “And we like that the Axis system provides the same quality performance that we’ve come to expect from our fixed cameras,” shares Martin.
“We think the Axis devices will help our officers de-escalate confrontations,” predicts Martin. “We also like that body worn cameras can live stream back to the station so that officers there can see and hear what’s happening in real time in case the situation, such as an accident or student protest, indicates a need for additional support.”
“Binghamton University is always going through capital projects and renovations,” says Martin. “Even as we apply our security system standards to every new construction, we remain open to new technologies and applications from Axis and other technology partners that will help us further strengthen campus safety as our threat landscape continues to evolve.”
Photos courtesy of Likid Keomany.
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