The hours following the 2020 Christmas Day explosion in downtown Nashville were filled with uncertainty and so many questions. Who carried this out and why? Were terrorist groups involved? Could there be more attacks on the way?
Facing piles of debris to sift through and an anxious public, local law enforcement could at least assure the community of one thing: there were hours of recorded video from police surveillance cameras to review and some clues would certainly turn up there.
Video surveillance helps agencies deter, disrupt and investigate crime incidents every day. But when the unthinkable happens, having recorded data from a citywide mobile surveillance network can save time and even lives. This is because today’s video management systems have high-tech forensic search tools allowing investigators to use smart functions and find relevant images as quickly as possible. Viewing stored or real-time recordings from multiple locations can be used to:
Create a timeline of activity prior to and following the incident.
Identify vehicles and persons of interest approaching or leaving the crime scene.
Uncover suspicious activity occurring elsewhere which might go undetected.
Scan for victims or bystanders who may be hurt or in danger.
Mobile Pro Systems has years of experience providing cities with quality mobile surveillance platforms that connect, inform and assist law enforcement and emergency response units when it matters most. For more information about how MPS Power Sentry units or camera trailers can support your city’s public safety and response efforts, call 952-324-5656 today.
Clean-up and restoration are vital to getting a community back on its feet after a storm or a wildfire passes through. When an area has extensive power outages and property is strewn in ruins, it’s often necessary to set up disaster response command centers or base camps for workers. Mobile surveillance from MPS offers excellent security monitoring for valuable materials and equipment stored at these sites, but it can also enhance communications, night lighting and add entrance/exit security.
Here’s a few examples:
MPS CheckPoint – an all-in-one mobile guard shark and gate control unit that’s ideal for controlling access and providing a versatile security base for large temporary sites.
Commander 3400 camera trailer – an excellent security solution for cordoned off disaster sites or large evacuation shelters (33 ft. adjustable mast).
Falcon 3100 camera trailer – a smaller unit that can fit into corners or tight spaces (18 ft. adjustable mast).
MPS products are smart power platforms, meaning they can support a number of technologies in addition to video surveillance. Some of these include card reader/keypads for check-in, wireless communications, two-way audio for remote communication, digital message sign boards, license plate recognition devices and more.
For more information about our innovative solutions for disaster response teams, call 952-324-5656 today.
Law enforcement and emergency teams are tasked with creating contingency plans for all types of public crises. They know the hard work and planning is necessary, even if it’s done years in advance and hopefully never has to be implemented. For example, in 2010 the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF) issued guides for helping agencies develop a pandemic flu plan. The guides presented an almost unimaginable worst-case scenario for community policing and emergency response during a major public health crisis. Yet that ‘what-if’ proposal from years ago is quickly becoming today’s reality as the COVID-19 virus rapidly spreads.
As the PERF report noted, one factor of a public health crisis that sets it apart from other disasters is that communities are called upon to deliver services with reduced ‘boots on the ground’ due to quarantine and illness:
“In the past, all-hazards planning mainly focused on physical damage as a result of man-made or naturally-occurring critical incidents. However, the lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina taught us that all-hazards planning must include preparing for the temporary or permanent loss of human resources as well. Preparing for the loss of human resources is central to effective planning for a public health emergency. Law enforcement must be aware of the effect that a large-scale public health incident could have on department personnel and, therefore, on the ability of the department to operate effectively. ” —Law Enforcement Preparedness for Public Health Emergencies: An Executive Summary of the Resources Series
At the time PERF issued their guidelines, mobile surveillance was in early stages of use and development. Since then, Mobile Pro Systems has been the industry leader in product design and power platform technology. We’ve successfully created practical methods for deploying trailers and other camera systems so they’re as easy to setup and operate as possible. This results-oriented approach means our units can serve communities and provide value in everyday policing while also being on hand to mobilize during emergencies. And today, simply having the ability to allow quarantined officers to monitor locations from home is an option that was barely feasible a decade ago.
Here are a few of the standard features that make our products particularly suited to assisting with emergency situations:
Minimal technical skill required for any product setup including tool-less one-person setup for camera trailers.
Efficient camera trailer operation for days or weeks without refueling.
Remote control of operating status and configuration of trailer settings via the MPStatus & Control application.
Real-time viewing from any smart phone, laptop or tablet.
Smart Search video management tools to find events of interest in recorded video.
Rapid deployment and ability to quickly move units to other locations as situations evolve.
MPS can also equip units with many options such as two-way audio for remote communication, license plate recognition devices, card readers and keypads to track emergency site traffic and digital message sign boards (trailers).
Mobile Pro Systems is committed to providing all the support you need to add mobile surveillance to your emergency preparedness plans. To learn more, call 952-324-5645 today.
The Metro Nashville PD (MNPD) recently released video from an MPS Power Sentry which captured a terrifying scene as an EF3 tornado tore through the city there on March 3, 2020. After it lost its electrical power source due to the storm, the Power Sentry was operating on battery power and kept recording. The video data was stored on an embedded SD card which remarkably survived the deluge of wind and water that pummeled the unit.
The story and video soon went viral and made headlines in many local and national news outlets. The Washington Post analyzed the video footage and paired it with radar data tracking the tornado’s path to pinpoint the location of the camera unit as the twister struck:
“The tornado strikes the camera nearly dead on, its core probably passing less than 300 feet to the north between 12:41 and 12:42 a.m.” (GR2 Analyst/Matthew Cappucci)*
Mobile Pro Systems has worked with the MNPD for several years to help them deploy a number of Power Sentries or ‘safety cameras’ around the city. To learn more about the Power Sentry and our other citywide mobile surveillance solutions, please call us at 952-324-5656.
*Matthew Cappucci, “A security camera in Nashville was swallowed by last week’s destructive tornado. It kept recording.”, The Washington Post, March 13, 2020. See full online article here.
More than Mobile: Long Range Acoustic Hailing Device
There’s no question Long Range Acoustic Hailing Devices (LRAD) save lives. The need to clear a dangerous area quickly or direct crowds where to find help is an important part of emergency response and crowd control. Because MPS camera trailers are often on the front line, they now have an LRAD emergency management option that can be set up on the fly and at the ready when needed.
P.A. and Mass Notification in One System
Unparalleled vocal clarity and intelligibility
Audio output quickly and easily modulated
Comes standard with LRAD’s hardened MP3 Controller/ Player for recording, storing and playing back messages
All-weather microphone also records and plays back messages on the fly
Easily attach LRAD to camera trailer’s mid-mast when needed. Remove and store securely inside trailer enclosure for safe transport (custom rack optional).
To learn more about how camera trailers from Mobile Pro Systems can assist emergency management teams using LRAD and other features, call 952-324-5656.
Mobile Pro traveled to Birmingham, Alabama, for a one-day event to demonstrate the Commander 3400 camera trailer and related mobile surveillance equipment for Jefferson County Metro Area Crime Center (MACC) members. The MACC partners with 22 local agencies who work together to gather, evaluate, analyze and distribute information regarding criminal activity in and around the Jefferson County Metropolitan Area. They share cutting edge investigative resources and a state-of-the-art high-tech Video Center in their joint mission to combat crime.
Members were impressed with the Commander’s 33’ mast, large 20-gallon fuel tank capacity for extended deployment and overall ease of operation. A popular option discussed throughout the day was Vigilant LPR technology that will be added to the platform.