Rutherford police modernize safety with VMS and AV1
By deploying new video management software (VMS), Rutherford PD has become a tech-enabled agency. The Axis system provides a unified public safety ecosystem, while AV1 codec technology optimizes bandwidth, cutting costs by 20%.
Rutherford Police Department
The Borough of Rutherford, New Jersey, has fewer than 20,000 residents and is situated just eight miles outside New York City and one mile from MetLife Stadium. As a critical transit artery for northern New Jersey, Routes 3 and 17 through Rutherford can see high volume traffic, especially when the stadium hosts major athletic and musical events.
Maintaining the safety of this bustling borough is the Rutherford Police Department (RPD). The RPD isn’t exactly a sprawling police force; it only has 41 full-time officers, plus a dedicated team of civilian support personnel. This means the department must make the most of its resources to ensure safety and order during major events.
Modernizing VMS and security for public safety
When Retired Chief John Russo took the lead at the Rutherford Police Department, he inherited a fragmented security strategy, an underperforming VMS, and insufficient physical infrastructure.
Facility and technology challenges
The department operated out of an old utility company building. The facility didn’t have access-controlled entry doors or security cameras inside or outside the building, and structural deterioration underscored the need for a new headquarters.
The department’s few legacy systems were outdated, uncoordinated, and filled with poor data. Officers lacked standardized training on digital tools, resulting in low adoption and fragmented information. Consequently, police investigations were largely reactive. When incidents occurred, personnel had to rely strictly on traditional boots-on-the-ground tactics. This meant hours were spent conducting door-to-door interviews, manually seeking private security footage from local homeowners or businesses, and sifting through disconnected leads.
Traffic concerns
Compounding these internal challenges were external public safety pressures. The high-volume highways intersecting Rutherford experienced frequent motor vehicle accidents, pedestrian hazards, and severe rush-hour gridlock. Dispatching officers to investigate highway incidents required personnel to physically drive along vast stretches of hazardous roadways to search for reported incidents, exposing them and other personnel to significant safety risks.
Additionally, the construction of a large bus depot by NJ Transit within Rutherford for international soccer matches posed another complication. There was an urgent need to visualize the corridor in real-time to prevent traffic choke points and monitor high-value infrastructure. RPD required a modern, centralized technology strategy capable of securing its headquarters, protecting personnel, and sustaining the safety of the surrounding community.
Improved awareness, resolution, and search
Recognizing his department’s technological needs, the Chief abandoned the legacy systems and contracted with GTBM, an Axis partner, to design an end-to-end security ecosystem built on Axis hardware and software. The vision was to establish a fully unified video and access control infrastructure.
VMS, access control, and camera upgrades
The transformation began with the construction of Rutherford’s state-of-the-art police headquarters. GTBM designed a unified video and access control management solution powered by AXIS Camera Station Pro. The VMS controls approximately 70 network cameras installed throughout the interior and exterior of the new building including pan/tilt/zoom, panoramic, bullet, and dome models.
To secure building access points, RPD installed door controllers paired with key fob card readers and network video intercoms. These intercoms integrate directly into the department’s dispatch consoles, allowing personnel to visually verify visitors via video and release doors remotely. Additionally, RPD deployed network strobe sirens in the public lobby to provide automated visual and audio alerts to dispatch officers in after-hours situations.
Watching how my personnel utilize the VMS reinforces my belief that I chose the right system. It is by far the most user-friendly platform we have. My personnel actually enjoy sitting down and pulling up videos and trying to enhance their investigation because it's easy to use.
Expanding the camera and VMS solution
Then RPD embarked on a multi-phased expansion across the borough. To protect public recreational areas and maintain visitor safety, RPD installed multisensor cameras in parks and public spaces.
Modern compression standard
To address traffic issues associated with the stadium, the RPD deployed a PTZ camera with the latest system-on-chip (SoC) technology, ARTPEC-9, along the critical Route 3 highway corridor. This camera supports the AV1 compression codec, a modern open-media compression standard designed to improve compression efficiency while maintaining image quality.
Forensic search for faster investigations
To manage this extensive camera fleet efficiently, GTBM recommended RPD utilize the smart search capabilities in their new VMS to perform forensic video searches of camera footage, which would allow investigators to filter through recorded video based on specific object criteria or written descriptions.
Delivering proactive results and public safety
The deployment of a unified video and access control management system has redefined operations at the Rutherford Police Department, enabling a highly proactive, technology-driven, safety-focused police force.
Intuitive and easy to operate
The VMS, AXIS Camera Station Pro, has improved efficiency and attitudes. "Watching how my personnel utilize the VMS reinforces my belief that I chose the right system," stated Russo. "This is by far the most user-friendly platform we have. My personnel actually enjoy sitting down and pulling up videos and trying to enhance their investigation because it's easy to use."
Faster video searches
The forensic smart search capabilities in the VMS dramatically reduce the time required to investigate incidents. “Instead of manually reviewing hours of footage, officers can quickly search for specific people, vehicles, colors, or objects across multiple cameras,” says Richie Picolli, Vice President of Security, GTBM. “This helps law enforcement locate evidence faster, track movements through an area, and respond more efficiently during investigations, ultimately saving valuable time and resources.”
AV1 compression upgrade saves money
The integration of the AV1 codec on the ARTPEC-9 chipset of the PTZ camera has yielded substantial technological and financial advantages. “By leveraging AV1 compression over traditional H.264 standards, the RPD achieved an approximate 20% reduction in bandwidth and storage consumption without compromising image resolution,” says Picolli.
In practical terms, where a standard camera stream might require 1 TB of monthly storage, AV1 can lower that to roughly 800 GB. Across hundreds of cameras, this significantly reduces storage infrastructure costs, cloud retention costs, and network bandwidth requirements. It also allows officers to utilize powerful optical zoom capabilities, such as monitoring activity at the stadium without video freezing or latency.
By leveraging AV1 compression over traditional H.264 standards, the RPD achieved an approximate 20% reduction in bandwidth and storage consumption without compromising image resolution.
Real-time situational awareness
The ecosystem acts as a direct force multiplier, enhancing awareness and safety. “A lieutenant using Axis cameras spotted an individual on empty bleachers at a local sports complex late at night,” explains Russo. “The individual was holding a knife and appeared to be having a mental health episode, talking to himself animatedly.”
As patrol cars arrived in the near pitch-dark park, the lieutenant watched him hide beneath the bleachers and relayed this information to responding officers over the radio.
"It was just a great use of technology, and it definitely resulted in officer safety,” says Russo.
Efficient VMS investigations and community trust
Today, instead of spending days conducting manual video searches, detectives can audit door access logs, correlate video timestamps, and perform targeted attribute searches directly from the VMS. "It really, really eliminates downtime," explained Russo. "Whoever you're presenting your investigation to, it's basically a gift-wrapped package. It's completely vetted. You know what you're seeing, you know what you're reading."
Furthermore, video evidence has proven vital in maintaining public trust and counteracting online misinformation during sensitive public events and protests. By providing objective, verifiable recordings of police interactions and public gatherings, the RPD can disprove false rumors on social media.
“Rutherford would be in a completely different place without our cameras because [they have provided evidence of] the professionalism of my agency,” Russo explained. “We have a good grasp of what's happening in our Borough, in part thanks to the technology solution that we've deployed."
A smarter vision for a safer community
By embracing an integrated public safety ecosystem, the Rutherford Police Department has effectively transformed its operational model from reactive to proactive. Chief Russo and his team have moved beyond the limitations of a legacy VMS infrastructure, utilizing sophisticated video and access control to keep their officers and the community they serve safer.
Through this commitment to technology, the department has created a blueprint for public safety that continues to grow, ensuring that Rutherford remains a secure, vibrant, and resilient place for every resident and visitor.
