Dickinson Police Department Protects Communities with AirLink Raven X

Located along the Gulf Coast, the Police Department of Dickinson, Texas, provides law enforcement services to a population of about 20,000 in an 11 square mile area.

Challenges

For the Dickinson Police Department (DPD), escalating narcotics sales had become a particularly virulent problem. In order to limit direct contact with drug dealers, which placed officers in physical danger, manpower-intensive undercover operations were staged to aid in successful arrests and prosecutions. Unfortunately, traditional methods of relaying critical information lacked the timeliness and quality critical in high-threat, fast-paced operations. The DPD could no longer rely on decade-old, short-range video equipment, and instead wanted to supplement voice communication and limit the need for eyes-on operations by enabling remote data access to allow officers to safely and efficiently monitor suspect situations at all times.

Solution

Dickinson Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Division selected a covert IP video surveillance system, developed by Crime Point, a valuable Sierra Wireless solutions partner. The Crime Point/Sierra Wireless solution allows the agency to gather intelligence for a variety of cases. Crime Point’s IP video surveillance solution features pervasive mobile broadband communication provided by the Sierra Wireless AirLink® Raven X. The intelligent gateway features a compact, rugged form factor and 3G-optimized architecture. Coupled with AirLink management software, ALEOS embedded intelligence simplifies installation, deployment, and remote management of any wireless implementation.

The Crime Point video surveillance solution allows officers to leave the equipment in a covert location, and then watch the activity live over their laptops, desktop computers, or smart phones from a safe, remote site, while simultaneously recording high-quality evidence at the camera.  The equipment can be programmed to generate photo alerts on motion, while officers engage in other tasks. 

Crime Point’s versatile mobile solution can be disguised and deployed in multiple ways and is engineered to withstand the high temperatures of southeast Texas. Mobile broadband enables the DPD to rapidly deploy the equipment anywhere it’s needed - no wired internet connection required.

“It’s no longer just the investigators doing the surveillance,” explained DPD Detective Frank Price. “The patrol officers can watch the camera from their laptops. With access to live video, they are receiving better quality information than getting it from me verbally.  I program the system to send photos when there’s motion, and that way we can mobilize a coordinated response instantly.”   

The Crime Point/Sierra Wireless surveillance solution has helped Dickinson Police Department transform the landscape of the city’s neighborhoods, increasing safety not only for law enforcement officers, but also for the community. In the two years since the system was purchased, street corner narcotics sales have virtually disappeared.    

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For more information, or for sales inquiries, please contact Sierra Wireless or one of our distributors.