Cost-efficient MOBOTIX video system for  real-time crime fighting in the USA in use
June 25, 2021

Cost-efficient MOBOTIX video system for real-time crime fighting in the USA in use

Langmeil, Juli 2021 - The Westchester County Police Department in New York State uses MOBOTIX technology for real-time crime prevention and control. RTC (Real Time Crime) is the name of the system that simplifies the cooperation of more than 40 police departments by combining surveillance, machine learning analysis, number plate recognition (LPR), and the police database. As one of the largest systems in the US, RTC scans approximately 40 million number plates every month. More than 220 MOBOTIX cameras are installed stationary along the highways for this purpose, triggering real-time alerts in case of suspicion.

Now, police patrol cars have also been equipped with MOBOTIX S74 cameras, which recognize number plates even while driving, compare them with the police database and thus identify, for example, stolen vehicles or vehicles for which an alert has been issued. The system observes data protection guidelines, as the MOBOTIX cameras only sound the alarm for wanted vehicles; unsuspicious number plates are not recorded or even stored.

The MOBOTIX S74 offers the best analytics with artificial intelligence and combines this with high-quality images, even at high speeds. For this purpose, MOBOTIX equipped the S74 with two 4K sensors and an IR illuminator to capture up to five lanes of moving traffic during the day. In 2020, RTC matched 243 million number plates with police databases using the mobile system. Over 200 arrests, 102 stolen vehicles were recovered. The system supports multi-agency investigations into burglaries, robberies, stolen cars, and vehicle break-ins with around 330,000 alerts a month. Westchester Police plans further expansion.

"By using the MOBOTIX S74 cameras, we have been able to reduce costs by 80% compared to other systems," said Lt. Brian Hess, director of the Real-Time Crime Center.
"This is an impressive example of effective and cost-efficient citizen protection, which the MOBOTIX sales team will now present to security authorities in other countries where we operate," said MOBOTIX CEO Thomas Lausten.