CDR brings the private, public sectors together

NEWBURGH, N.Y. - A small scale systems integrator here has garnered one of the most publicized camera installation jobs in its area, a privately funded security system that’s soon to be monitored by the local police department. The four-camera system was installed by CDR Electronics in a high crime area of Newburgh, a section responsible for nearly 60 percent of the city’s violent crimes. The $75,000 project was funded by a low cost housing management company, Rural Opportunities, to tackle crime and help make its residents feel safer. “Most larger cities would have the funding and would have a system in this neighborhood,” said Charles Romaine, president of CDR Electronics. “But because Newburgh is such a small city, they couldn’t go to remote video management.” The system features Videolarm’s DeputyDome cameras, which include a ballistic rated pan tilt housing. Images are recorded using a Dedicated Micros DVR and in the next few weeks will be transmitted over the Internet to a secure website that can be watched by police. The project proved complex, especially since the cameras are mounted on utility poles. Getting permission to place cameras on the utility poles and the local police department to sign on took several months. The system’s notoriety has already lead to a similiar job for Romaine, with the local hospital already signing on. And, the city of Newburgh is also considering adding four cameras to integrate with the housing company’s privately paid for system. Police said they have noticed a difference since CDR installed the camera system in the housing project, with police receiving fewer shots fired calls, said Detective Sgt. Arnold Amthor of the Newburgh Police Department. And since the cameras were installed a few months ago, they have already recorded a gang-related homicide, with the videotape leading police to a suspect. Since the system is still new for the department, Amthor believes “its full potential has yet to be really discovered.”