Kyrene

New Surveillance System Makes Kyrene School District a Safer Environment

The 25 schools and district office facilities of Arizona's Kyrene K-8 school district are safer and more secure now for students, staff and visitors with a Panasonic IP video surveillance solution in place. The system, installed in 2011, includes 1800 cameras and 33 NVRs. Principals have access to video using an easy-to-use Web browser that connects to the NVR at each location. The district office uses Panasonic's i-PRO Management Software for live views or recorded video from any camera at any school.

Cameras provide full interior and exterior coverage of each school's campus including buildings, parking areas and playground structures. Utilizing Power over Ethernet (PoE) provides additional flexibility to relocate cameras and saves costs for the district as there is no need for a separate power source or new electrical outlets.

Panasonic's Super Dynamic feature enables cameras to deal with changing lighting conditions while maintaining image quality. Megapixel vandal-resistant fixed dome cameras are used for exteriors and in select indoor applications such as multi-purpose rooms and long hallways.

The system has already demonstrated its value in multiple instances, identifying vandals, solving thefts and capturing video of parking lot incidents. Students were also kept safe in a serious crisis, when an active shooter at a nearby shopping mall sent the school into lockdown. Video surveillance enabled administrators to watch the school from the outside and inside until the danger passed.

On another occasion, there was a report of someone driving by the school, rolling down his car window and talking to students. After the incident was reported to the principal and on-site officers, cameras provided multiple clear images of the car, including make and color. The video even showed the suspected predator rolling down the passenger window and leaning over. TV stations publicized the incident, and an arrest was made.