City of Industry, CA – Innovative Solutions to Help Fight Property Crimes
Our city is an industrial suburb in the San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles County, California. Home to over 2,500 businesses and 65,000 jobs, the City of Industry is almost entirely industrial. Industrial has made our city very attractive to perpetrators of property crimes. Ninety-two percent of the City of Industry is zoned industrial/manufacturing and 8 percent is zoned commercial.
Despite law enforcement efforts over the years by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Industry Station, the City of Industry and many of our surrounding cities/communities have been plagued with commercial burglaries, grand thefts, and stolen vehicles (i.e., intermodal containers containing merchandise). This is largely due to the geographic size of the policing jurisdiction and the limited amount of patrol units that can be deployed.
These crimes are being committed by “burglary crews” that select their victims based on the product they manufacture or warehouse. These criminals “case” the location, checking for specific hours of operation, security systems, and where the product or merchandise is kept. They even purposely set off burglar alarms to determine the response time of the local law enforcement.
In order to enhance our city-wide crime fighting efforts, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, more specifically the Industry Sheriff's Station, the City of Industry, and their Chamber of Commerce—the Industry Manufacturers Council (IMC)—made an investment in a new cutting edge technology called Public Safety Online (PSO).
PSO is a secured web application that our citizens, business owners, school officials, church representatives, or any resident can log in to and create their In Case of Emergency (I.C.E.) contact information for First Responders (law enforcement and fire department personnel) to view online.
Industry Sheriff's Station uses this technological advancement to assist in the way their law enforcement personnel respond to, coordinate, and make decisions in handling calls for service.
The PSO technology also provides the capability of using wireless internet access to view private surveillance cameras from the businesses throughout the city, a powerful tool in the effort to combat property crimes.
Additionally, this same technology provides valuable detailed emergency information and a GPS-style satellite map of locations and adjacent properties for the responding deputies.
Privately owned and maintained video surveillance systems have become the “norm” for many private and public buildings. Unfortunately, this video footage is only available after an incident has occurred, commonly utilized for purposes of “post incident investigation.” PSO is innovative technology, which we are thrilled to have piloted in our city, and which utilizes a website to access pre-designated surveillance cameras in live time. This access is accomplished via a secured internet connection that allows a live view of a location during an incident. This access is provided at our dispatch center at Industry Sheriff's Station and the responding patrol cars are equipped with Mobile Digital Computers (MDC). Industry Station has 55 patrol cars currently equipped with MDCs. The MDC equipped patrol cars are able to access the internet via internal commercial wireless modems. We do not actively monitor any surveillance cameras, rather we access and view the private surveillance cameras integrated into PSO when an incident occurs or the need arises.
The increase in efficiency and officer safety for personnel by providing real time access to privately owned surveillance cameras cannot be overstated. Our deputies now have the ability to access video surveillance systems and view a live scene while responding to that location. This access provides situational awareness, helps our deputies to properly triage calls, increases the efficiency of the coordination of resources, and improves officer safety exponentially.
Deputy Nanquil, who has served as a deputy for over 24 years with the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department's Industry Station, praises PSO for the help that it provides to the sheriff's department. PSO is not only for businesses but has also benefited our local schools. Prior to PSO, responding deputies often relied on descriptions provided by witnesses or victims. Those descriptions are often vague, making it difficult to apprehend suspects. With this type of live viewing, we are able to identify the suspects and their vehicles as well as any weapons which may have been used, notes Nanquil.
Deputy Nanquil, who has served as a deputy for over 24 years with the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department's Industry Station, praises PSO for the help that it provides to the sheriff's department. PSO is not only for businesses but has also benefited our local schools. Prior to PSO, responding deputies often relied on descriptions provided by witnesses or victims. Those descriptions are often vague, making it difficult to apprehend suspects. With this type of live viewing, we are able to identify the suspects and their vehicles as well as any weapons which may have been used, notes Nanquil.
The Industry Sheriff's Station also made sure to publicize the implementation of the PSO technology to encourage perpetrators to “think twice” before committing the property crimes in the city.
Kevin Radecki, City Manager
City of Industry
Donald Sachs, Executive Director
Industry Manufacturers Council
City of Industry
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