CCTV stands for Closed-circuit television and its use is revolutionizing law enforcement, traffic monitoring, transportation safety, private security, and that’s just the start.
CCTV is as they say, “The eye that never blinks” and records all that’s within view of its single camera or numerous cameras. The video feeds are sent to a computerized monitoring station and the content is usually recorded on digital video recorders (DVRs). There is a CCTV system to fit just about any application. Some examples would be the CCTV systems on police vehicles, traffic intersections, buses, subways, banks, the work place, casinos, and the list goes on and on.
There are those that look at this trend as an invasion of our privacy, however, it has done wonders in apprehending criminals. The digital video footage can be viewed by law enforcement and image enhancing software can then be used to pull pictures of the perpetrator or perpetrators. Rapid identification is key and the faster a criminal is identified, the quicker they’re caught. This process is much more reliable than trying to get descriptions from eye witnesses after the crime was committed.
The other benefit is the video footage of the crime can be used as evidence in a court of law. So when you consider all of these factors, a person really doesn’t have much to worry about unless they’ve been out committing crime or acts of terrorism. There have also been instances where the footage was able to prove a person’s innocence as well.
A CCTV system can be as simple or complex as you need it to be. For instance, there are units you can pick up for home use that have a few cameras and can be linked to your home computer via wireless or hardwired network cables. These types of units cost anywhere from just under a hundred dollars to thousands of dollars, you decide how complex a system you need and how much you can afford. On the high end, you can spend hundreds of thousands or possibly millions of dollars if the project and need is large enough. For example, Las Vegas has a very high concentration of these types of CCTV systems in place. So if you, your agency, your work, or your government has reason to monitor any situation – CCTV is what you need.
