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Securing the evidence

State forensic lab keeps building secure with networked security system

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"The security system has saved us a lot of time and money because we no longer have to send officers out to investigate every false alarm." Detective Lieutenant Bob Slick, Michigan State Police

When the Michigan State Police's Forensic Science Lab moved from a building on the headquarters' compound to a new off-site facility, the crime lab needed a cutting-edge security system that would allow officers at headquarters to remotely monitor the facility.

The lab worked with Axis Communications, Cisco Systems®, and Honeywell to develop a state-of-the-art networked security system, complete with integrated surveillance video, access control devices and intrusion detection.

Axis video servers were used to digitize images from analog security cameras and sent over a local area network and the state's intranet.

Now when police at headquarters receive an alarm, they can access real-time images from Axis networked video technology using a standard Web browser and Honeywell's Digital Video Manager system. This allows them to visually verify the cause of the alarm andwhether the incident requires further investigation.

Since Axis' networked video technology is integrated with Honeywell's access control and intrusion detection system, images of a person accessing a restricted area with a proximity card can be matched against images of the actual cardholder, providing visual proof of authorization. 

In addition, the Honeywell intrusion detection system notifies police when a door is left open, whether accidentally or otherwise,and the networked video technology allows them to determine whether a breach has occurred.

If an alarm occurs, the digital video management system saves images from before, during and after the alarm. This way, officers can review the events and determine whether the images need to be saved for evidence or discarded.

The result is a cost-efficient security system integrated over the computer network, providing authorized personnel with real-time information via a secure connection to the state of Michigan’s intranet.

"Everything runs over our computer network, which saved us money by not having to install a separate network for our complex security needs," said Detective Lieutenant Slick.