School makes security a priority with an A+ solution.

Partnering with The Kern Group of Peoria, WCHS opted for a video system from Axis Communications. From the 72 total cameras installed on the interior and exterior of the school and two network video recorders to ancillary products such as IR illuminators and surge protectors, the system is a 100 percent Axis solution, allowing the school to take advantage of the benefits of using a single provider from end to end. The cameras were deployed in and around the expanding school campus, with video recording 24/7.

Located six miles east of Peoria in the town of Washington, Illinois, Washington Community High School (WCHS) is also the only school in Illinois School District 308. The student population of 1,384 is evenly spaced across grades nine through 12. The school offers a diverse curriculum, and recently expanded its footprint, with additional projects planned to accommodate its growing student body. With that growth comes an increase in potential security and safety issues, which has included students throwing objects in the cafeteria, passing unknown objects to each other and vaping in hallways.

“Retrieving video was difficult in that I had to have a lot of downtime because in many cases, I would have to review video in real time,” Westbrook said. “That was the biggest headache with the old system, having to spend an hour to find five minutes’ worth of video, often for very minor things.” Faced with a variety of safety and security issues, the poor image quality combined with a lack of coverage in some key areas left the school open to potential liability for incidents.

Even before the audit, it was clear that the low quality of the video was a major problem, along with a lack of user-friendliness and the fact that the system comprised equipment from multiple manufacturers, all of which created problems that were difficult for the school to solve in a timely manner. “As the owner of the system, we have to be able to make decisions and changes without waiting for a contractor to come in and fix or reprogram things,” Sander said. “In security situations, you don’t have that luxury of time. We need to always be at the ready and we weren’t with the old system.”

Based on the results of its threat assessment, Kern Group used AXIS Site Designer to lay out what cameras would be installed in each specific location to provide maximum coverage. “AXIS Site Designer worked flawlessly. We presented the school with CAD drawings in a way that is easy to understand with different icons and colors that represent different cameras, showing where they will be installed,” said Greg Kern, an Axis Certified Professional and Managing Partner of The Kern Group.

Because school budgets are often tight, Kern wanted to put decision-makers at ease about their investment in the new system. Working with Axis, the firm delivered a proof of concept by demonstrating a variety of cameras to show WCHS leadership and the school board real-time video from the exact type of cameras that would be installed onsite. “It was incredibly helpful to have Axis come down and visit the school to give us an actual presentation of what the video would look like live. That was a very useful way for us to see what we were actually purchasing before it was installed,” Sander said.

Recognizing that no one camera can fit all applications, Kern selected camera models for the specific locations where they would be installed based on their individual feature sets. The firm also chose Axis accessories, including mounting brackets, surge protectors and cabling to further customize each installed camera and ensure optimal performance. “It’s much easier to deal with one manufacturer for as much of the products as possible. It makes everything flow better if we have one manufacturer that we’re going to deal with for everything,” said Scott Kern, Managing Director, Kern Group.

Another improvement has been Westbrook’s ability to access video more quickly using AXIS Camera Station video management software and an AXIS S9002 Desktop Terminal, which has freed him up to spend more time monitoring the school for potential problems. “It’s performed much better than the former system and it’s saved me a lot of time, probably several hours,” Westbrook said. “Also, the quality is not even comparable to the previous system. I’m able to see farther distances in much more detail, so there’s no question about what I’m seeing in the video.”