February 27, 2007
Indianapolis at the center of surveillance analysis
Video surveillance evidence is an increasingly important tool in solving crimes both large and small. While some surveillance footage, like dark nighttime images, to the naked eye might seem unusable, even the most undistinguishable pictures contain information that can be analyzed. In an effort to make better use of all available camera footage, The University of Indianapolis has established the Digital Multimedia Evidence Processing Lab, the first center of its kind, dedicated to the examination of crime and disaster surveillance footage. The lab functions as a learning facility and will also serve as a command center during national emergencies or terrorist attacks, enabling officials to study footage from a wide variety of sources including surveillance cameras and even cell phones.
The law enforcement video association dished out $285,000 to provide for the lab's 20 computers which will be used for police training about three months out of the year. For the rest of the year, the lab is available to faculty and students for course work.
Technological advancements make a lab such as this all the more important and relevant in setting new standards in forensic analysis. Using the latest tools available, officers trained at the Indianapolis lab will learn how to better process video so that all camera footage can prove useful. This is an exciting prospect for law enforcement officials who are quick to note how valuable a resource the lab could be in studying video surveillance footage from smaller crimes to situations of mass casualty like the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.
Other countries have even taken notice of the University of Indianapolis' Digital Multimedia Evidence Processing Lab. The United Kingdom, a long-time video surveillance proponent, hopes to establish a similar facility within the year.
Posted by Dan on February 27, 2007 10:25 PM | Comments (0)
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