UNDERSTANDING SURVEILLANCE EQUIPMENT

Increasingly complex pressures on our society have brought into sharp focus the ever increasing need for the sanctuary and warmth of our houses of worship. Information overload, economic pressures, foreign and domestic terrorism and twenty dozen other factors are causing many of the members of our society to seek relief, some to seek solace and guidance, others seek a quick fix and still others wish only to lash out at any perceived injustice.

Although each of you have dedicated your lives and efforts to providing the guidance, solace and place of sanctuary, it is by this very dedication that you and your facilities can be perceived as a source for quick gains or worse yet be perceived by the misguided as the source of their very own injustice. Perception is different to each person and that is where deterrence finds its effectiveness. Utilizing technology as an effective deterrence to the would be criminal or vandal. The basis of an effective deterrent is to be visible enough to cause the perpetrator to look elsewhere for their opportunity to do harm, steal or vandalize, in providing the extra moment, for the perpetrator to have a second thought about “getting away with it”.

Video surveillance systems can and will provide just such a deterrent. The availability of tiny covert cameras has led many property managers to specify their security system be basically invisible, while inside your facilities this aesthetically pleasing design concept makes sense while still being effective, I question the concept being carried to your exterior areas and the ingress points for your facilities. The first line of defense in protecting your facilities through deterrence is outside of the building or even at the edges of your property. Locating very visible signage at the entrances to your property announcing that the area is under continuous surveillance is a great first step. Each of us knows that we are being watched from on high even if there is not a camera to do so.

A video monitoring system with highly visible cameras in the parking area and outside of each entrance will tell the would be perpetrator that there is a very good chance they will be caught and held accountable for their actions. This type of high tech surveillance equipment, once reserved for banks and military installations is now available and very cost effective for your facilities. It is now quite possible to include a comprehensive security video system in your facilities design, either new building or as a retrofit for a very reasonable budgetary outlay. The best news of all is that very high resolution video camera equipment is now available at costs that were formerly reserved for the grainy low-quality image equipment common just a few years ago. The laws of supply and demand coupled with economy of scale have driven the costs associated with high resolution and even mega pixel video equipment to a level well within the consideration of even the smallest of congregations.

It is up to each of you as the leaders of your congregations and maintainers of your facilities to consider the implications of “closing the barn door after the cow escapes”. Contemplating the costs of repair or replacement of your facilities after an act of theft or vandalism quickly demonstrates the very real value in a deterrent system. Contemplating the value in a system that can deter those who would do personal harm to the members of your staff or congregation is not even a challenge.

We have all heard the news stories, each of us know someone who has been a victim, all of us have seen the acts of vandalism and it is our duty as leaders of our respective organizations to give consideration to how we can protect our facilities and even more important our members.

Understanding the need for a video surveillance system does not necessarily mean you know where to begin in your quest to meet the need with available budget so I will outline the first few steps you may want to consider. The first step is to consult with specialists in security design and it is recommended that you consider an organization with knowledge of the special needs of houses of worship. The second step is to take advantage of your greatest asset, your members. The security industry is huge and many of you will find that you have members of your congregation who are capable of helping. The third step you should take is to consult with your local law enforcement community and /or municipality to ask for their input. Once you have reached a decision about the needs of you particular facility it will be time to consider the actual equipment necessary to meet your needs.

There are several types of equipment available ranging from extremely cutting edge high tech digital systems to low end consumer type products. Please realize that as the old saying goes “you get what you pay for” and do not consider trying to protect your facilities with low dollar junk from the local big box warehouse store. This type of equipment is designed to fail in a short time and be of little use even while it is working.

The best value currently available is made up of a hybrid system, which utilizes very cost effective analog CCTV cameras in combination with the slightly more expensive digital cameras for your external remote camera placements. The system is controlled and archived by a quality built, hybrid DVR and has many capabilities which you will find useful. The days of a rack of video tape machines and stacks of video tapes are gone. Today’s hybrid DVRs are capable of storing month’s worth of imagery and can in some cases be set up for remote access and viewing.

Remote external cameras present a challenge which can be easily met by utilizing either wired or wireless technologies. Placement of cameras on light poles or task specific mounting locations at the edges of you property allow the field of view to include your facilities exterior instead of just being mounted to it. These types of camera placements can be difficult and expensive to install in an existing facility if you choose to use a hard wired scenario, but wireless options available today allow you to take advantage of these great placement locations without digging up the parking lot, sidewalks and landscaping. Placement of you surveillance system at these remote external locations will also offer the added benefit of being a deterrent to persons who would vandalize or steal from your congregations vehicles during services.

For more information email us at info@churchsecuritysolutions.com

Contact us or call us today at 503-949-8862 for a free security consultation.

“Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, serving as overseers.”

1 Peter 5:2