PLATTSBURG, Mo.—For a police department with an annual budget of $200,000 and only six full-time officers and three reserves, there just isn’t the funding needed for technology, regardless of how efficient it could make the department, said Chief Zephry Bingham of the Plattsburg Police Department in Missouri.

Fortunately, the Plattsurg PD was able to secure funding through the Commercial Equipment Direct Assistance Program for a four-camera deployable system from Sightlogix. CEDAP, which is a direct assistance program under FEMA, provides jurisdictions with equipment and technical assistance rather than direct monetary assistance.

The four-camera system that the Plattsburg PD received features long-range, wireless perimeter surveillance cameras that Bingham says the department uses to watch areas that require constant surveillance. For example, the department uses it for narcotics investigations to watch houses and monitor who enters and exits buildings without having to have an officer dedicated to the scene. Bingham said the department has also had success monitoring a golf course that was undergoing constant property damage.

The cameras, which are equipped with video analytic capabilities, allow the department to set up rules according to the situation. The analytic rules, such as setting alarms when a person crosses into a pre-designated zone, are programmed by officers at the scene. The system then automatically notifies the department when those alarms are triggered.

Bingham said that this technology has been a force multiplier for the department, allowing it to be more efficient with officer placement. “The biggest thing this technology gives us is the tools we need to use one officer to watch two different areas, or four areas, depending on how we set it up,” he said. 

The four-camera rapid deployment kit by Sightlogix allows the department to be more proactive in its surveillance capabilities as well, said Tom Bell, director of public safety programs for Sightlogix, who is also a retired captain with the New Jersey State Police. “With this equipment when you have an intruder you don’t have to wait until Monday morning to try to identify them. This gives them real-time, pre-emptive posture.”

However, funding for the CEDAP program has been discontinued in 2010, which Bingham says is a huge blow to small police departments. “There are few programs that target small police departments, despite the fact that we are the majority in the country,” Bingham said. “We deal with the same crime [as bigger departments], just less volume.”

Bell agreed: “This is a disappointing time for law enforcement and smaller agencies. It’s a real shame to have these small agencies not represented.”