Crime, loitering and general disorder are common problems at inner-city, public housing sites. Most of the crime is committed by outsiders who typically come into the facility to deal drugs, gamble, drink or congregate. At the very least, this is disturbing to the housing residents and often progresses to include property damage, vandalism and theft. At its worst, residents may be verbally and/or physically assaulted as they enter and leave their homes. Such was the case with the Housing Authority of Joliet, located in Joliet, IL. Since the housing authority’s security force is limited and local police cannot be everywhere, an innovative and cost-effective solution was required. The solution was to install a video surveillance system that would not only record criminal activity, but deter it.
Most video surveillance systems could be considered passive systems that trigger an active response, that is, some activity is observed and guards or law enforcement are deployed to the site to investigate, intervene or make an arrest. As video systems have evolved and technology has advanced, this is beginning to change with on-site equipment now able to provide a primary level of deterrence without the need for security to deploy to the site every time an incident occurs. A highly effective solution that provides primary deterrence was proposed to the Housing Authority of Joliet by Commercial Electrical Systems (CES).
