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By Scott Goldfine

Convention centers reside in the heart of most major metropolitan areas across America. They typically serve as hubs for business and leisure activities throughout the year, with many accommodating thousands of people on any given day. Unfortunately, public places such as these also now have to be viewed as potential terrorist targets.

That’s one reason why operators of the Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex (BJCC) near downtown Birmingham, AL, recently decided to have the facility’s antiquated CCTV system completely overhauled. They needed on-site security personnel able to monitor the complex’s expansive grounds.

The project was put out to bid and won by a local integrator, Vision Southeast Inc., which, in a few short years has become known as one of the region’s top large system installers. The company installed a 45-camera system throughout the BJCC that feeds into a master control room where images are recorded on three digital video multiplex recorders (DVMRs) and then distributed via a matrix switcher.

Overall, the installation went very smoothly. However, the integrator had to determine what, if any, of the previous CCTV system could be salvaged; navigate lengthy cable runs; schedule around the complex’s practically nonstop activities; and get enough of the system online in time for an impending visit by President George W. Bush.

Facility’s Expansion, Outdated System Prompt Upgrade
Although ground was broken on the BJCC back in 1974, when it was just a couple of convention halls, it wasn’t until 1990—and after much expansion—that operators opted for a CCTV system. However, as time wore on, the analog, black-and-white system became more and more ineffectual, to the point where it was practically useless.

“During a period of about 10 years, our surveillance system outdated itself,” said Matt Wilson, director of operations for BJCC. “Due to increased activity and the physical expansion of the campus, coupled with 9/11 and the increased interest in security, we knew we needed to expand our surveillance capabilities.”

BJCC encompasses seven city blocks and includes exhibition halls, meeting rooms, a sports arena, a concert hall, a theater, an adjoining hotel and much more. Although the surrounding area is not known as a high-crime neighborhood, BJCC officials sought to mitigate any potential risks and better control foot and vehicular traffic. In addition, they wanted to enhance the overall safety of patrons, protect in-house equipment, deter theft, and more effectively monitor and manage employees.

Installer Works Closely With Client
After initially being contacted by the BJCC in January 2002, Komisar’s (founder of Vision Southeast) crew was officially awarded the contract on June 19, 2002. The work commenced five days later. The project lasted about six weeks, involving 480 hours of labor for a total cost, including all the equipment, of $100,000.

Aside from some Ditek surge protection devices, West Penn cabling, a half-dozen existing cameras and a few other odds and ends, all of the equipment was supplied by Kalatel, which satisfied the original bid specification to use a single vendor.

The main components of the system are 45 cameras, 24 of which are pan/tilt/zoom (PTZ) domes, three digital video multiplexer recorders (DVMRs) and a matrix. There is a PTZ camera in every area outside the BJCC, with a combination of PTZs and fixed cameras inside the exhibit halls and common areas.

“Camera coverage includes the perimeter, loading docks, parking lots and a parking garage, inside the exhibit halls, lobby areas, the accounting office, and the Medical Forum building across the street,” said Komisar. “We used day/night cameras in the parking lots and perimeter areas because the lighting is not always optimal.”

DVMRs Offer Advanced Features
The BJCC was very pleased with the functionality and capabilities afforded to him and his staff by the DVMRs.

“At the time of the installation, those DVMRs had the largest hard drives available; that’s why we chose them,” said Komisar. “They can store two to three weeks worth of recordings on them. The recordings erase the previous images as they go. If they need to archive anything, they can burn the images onto a CD-R. Each recorder has 14 or 15 cameras feeding into it.”

Aside from a SimplexGrinnell fire system, a Honeywell energy management system and the original, outmoded CCTV system, the complex’s electronic security-related systems were minimal (no intrusion or access control, for example). However, Vision Southeast was able to incorporate a few existing elements, such as panic alarms, into the new surveillance system.

“There were panic alarms in the garage that we tied into a Kalatel remote alarm panel to tell the cameras to zoom in when a panic button is pressed,” said Komisar. “We were also able to use the existing console, six cameras, one of the monitors and some of the wiring, which helped keep the cost of the project down.”

Additional functionality of the surveillance system includes remote access and being tied into a citywide network of cameras.

“I can manually look in from my PC and I have a separate monitor and keypad for monitoring and viewing in my office,” said Wilson. “We are also connected via fiber to the city grid, which allows me to view four cameras placed above the interstate.”

System Protects Nation’s Chief Executive
The BJCC installation project was not without its fair share of impediments and hardships. The biggest and most unique challenge was helping safeguard President George W. Bush.

The president was scheduled to speak at the complex not more than three weeks after Vision Southeast began working onsite, and the Secret Service wanted to be able to use the surveillance system to help monitor any suspicious activity. That meant a substantial portion of the installation had to be operational in a hurry.

According to Wilson, the system performed without a hitch. Secret Service personnel were extremely impressed, especially by its ability to zoom in on faces and license plates blocks away.

Long Wire Pulls And Other Obstacles
Other installation issues that had to be contended with included having to work unusual and long hours to accommodate nearly nonstop use of the facility (a regional NCAA tournament was underway at the time of this writing), extremely lengthy wire pulls, some minor glitches and transitioning from the old to new system.

“The magnitude of the wire pull, the scope and size was a great challenge,” said Komisar. “They did not want any wires to be visible, so it took extra time to find those routes. We pulled some of the wire on the roof, which gets pretty hot in Alabama during the summer! One time, people saw us up there and called the police because they didn’t know what we were up to.”

Although Wilson says there was one instance where, due to aesthetic reasons, cable had to be rerun, the installation did not require any underground cabling or include any wireless transmission. Most of the wire used for video was plenum-rated RG-59, while unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) cable was deployed to transmit data and handle power. Conduit use was minimal.

Although BJCC’s original CCTV system had become extremely compromised in recent years, security personnel nonetheless had still been using it on a daily basis to monitor certain areas of the campus. Therefore, the time lag between taking that system offline and getting the new one up and running had to be as brief as possible.

“The transition from the old system to the new one was the most difficult aspect of the installation,” said Wilson. “We had to lose our existing cameras to get the new ones up.

Bringing Users Up To Speed In Short Order
When it comes to any installation project, the best planning, equipment and hard work ultimately don’t mean much unless the people operating the system know what they are doing. Fortunately, the system proved to be very user-friendly.

“They have a security guard monitoring the system 24 hours a day and pretty good-sized security staff,” said Komisar. “We trained the security people as well as Matt on the system’s operation. We also trained them on how to burn CDs. The system is very easy to operate; switching from camera to camera is a breeze. However, many of the cameras run on preset tours until there is a manual override.”

The BJCC dedicates 12 senior personnel from its 70-person-strong security force to handling the electronic side of the operation. Three shift operators occupy the control room around the clock, every day of the year. However, they are only permitted to monitor and record; a pass code, which is only issued to management, is necessary for playback.

Beyond Security, System Settles Disputes, Helps Management
In addition to greater security, the surveillance system has delivered numerous other benefits for the BJCC, including crime deterrence (signage about the system is posted throughout the facility), evidential support, dispute settlement and general managerial assistance.

In one particular instance, for example, an event promoter claimed their carpeting had been stolen between the hours of 5:45 p.m. and 7 a.m. the following day. However, in reviewing the video, the exhibitor’s own workers could clearly be seen rolling up and removing the carpeting themselves.

“The system helps keep us from getting blamed for things we are not responsible for,” said Wilson. “It has also helped us catch an employee who had been stealing. It is as much a management tool as a security mechanism, but we don’t use the system like Big Brother. We will only check something out if there is a perceived problem. We have enough other things to do!”

Reprinted with permission from Security Sales & Integration Magazine. Article edited for brevity by Facility Manager.

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