A Bryant company has developed a security system with a camera and software that allows businesses to notify police when a crime is happening.
Cellular Data Solutions, which was founded six years ago, supplied equipment for laptop computers and cellphones for the Little Rock Police Department to receive messages that quickly report crime. There was no cost to the department.
Because much video with security systems is poor quality, Cellular Data Solutions also offers a "crime cam" that produces a high quality picture and video.
"This solution is ideal for hotels, banks and convenience stores," said Chuck Denton, president of Cellular Data Solutions. The company manufactures the crime cam and is the first company in the country to offer such a device, he said.
The camera covers about three cash registers, where about 95 percent of robberies occur, Denton said.
"It records on motion," Denton said. "If someone comes in and robs a store, the cashier can use a wireless key fob or tap a footpad under the counter."
That sends an alarm notification to police laptops and a text message to their cellphones, with GPS coordinates of the business, Denton said.
"And it sends the last recorded video of the merchant [to police]," Denton said.
After that, police can click on a link to see a live video at the store, Denton said. All of this could happen even before the police receive the 911 dispatch about the robbery, Denton said.
"Today, if there's a robbery, you have to call after the event," Denton said. "The employee is probably pretty shaken up, especially if they had a gun pointed at their head. And he may not know how to work the [recording device]."
Cellular Data Solutions has agreements with the Little Rock police, North Little Rock police, Pulaski County sheriff's office and Maumelle police, Denton said.
The Little Rock Police Department has signed a contract agreeing to use Denton's system, said Ken Blankenship, a detective with the department.
"It's not proprietary," Blankenship said. "Other [security system] companies can get on board."
Most police departments in the area already are equipped to receive the notifications, so there is no cost, Denton said.
Cellular Data Solutions sells the crime cam to businesses at a cost of $1,250, Denton said. The camera doesn't come with a recording device, but video is stored on the Internet "cloud," or some place other than a computer's hard drive.
There also are monthly charges for a backup service and video storage on the cloud.
"We are just rolling this out to businesses," Denton said.
Police don't often get quality images of the crime suspects, Blankenship said. The recording devices also often don't function properly and at times are stolen during a robbery.
With Denton's system, there are higher-quality videos, Blankenship said.
"You can actually zoom in on features," Blankenship said.
Officers can download video of a crime without having to drive to the location, Blankenship said.
"We want [to use Denton's] videos and we want to save time," Blankenship said. "It's a win-win for us as far as getting these systems. We hope we do see more systems like this out there. These detectives that spend hours and hours trying to get video, that's hours and hours they can spend on other cases."
But businesses must have the crime cam installed before police can benefit from it, said Michelle Hill, a public affairs liaison for the Little Rock department.
Cellular Data Solutions recently partnered with the South Carolina Department of Corrections.
"[The company] developed a camera that goes outside the prison fencing," Denton said. "They're having bad problems with contraband being either flown in on drones or being thrown over the fences."
In July, one South Carolina inmate escaped near Charleston when wire cutters were dropped from a drone as part of an elaborate escape scheme, The Associated Press reported. He used the wire cutters to cut through four fences. The escapee was captured two days later in Texas.
Cellular Data Solutions recently installed the equipment in South Carolina, Denton said.
The cameras can detect drones flying over the prison or people throwing items over the fence. If that happens, the Cellular Data Solutions' system would set off an alarm, a siren and a strobe light, which should eliminate the bag drops, Denton said.
The prison's security system also would receive a text message and an email, Denton said.
"They could get a live view from their phone instead of running out there [where the items were dropped]," Denton said.
SundayMonday Business on 08/14/2017