NCJ Number
218647
Date Published
January 2005
Length
14 pages
Annotation
The Scientific Working Group on Imaging Technology presents recommendations and guidelines for the use of closed-circuit television (CCTV) security systems in commercial facilities, such as banks and convenience stores.
Abstract
The report addresses analog and digital video systems, with attention to the optimization of image quality so as to facilitate the identification of unknown people and objects of interest in an investigation. The report first presents the criteria that must be met if the systems are to achieve their intended purpose. First, recordings that show criminal activity must be preserved in a way that allows law enforcement officials to recover the original images with a documented chain of custody, i.e., documentation of the movement, location, and possession of evidence. Second, the number, placement, and type of video cameras must be sufficient to provide adequate coverage and detail in the areas selected for monitoring. Third, there should be adequate, balanced lighting in these areas. Fourth, there should be a schedule of regular system maintenance. Fifth, institutions should have documented procedures for ensuring that employees know what to do should a criminal incident occur. Following the presentation of these basic criteria, the report provides guidelines for system design. These guidelines pertain to system components, the number and placement of cameras, lighting, electrical power, bandwidth, recorder security, and recordings of associated text information. The next major section of the report contains guidelines for recording systems. The topics addressed are recording resolution for analog recording systems, recording resolution for digital video recorders, compression, time-lapse recordings, switchers/multiplexers, triggers/incident recorders, remote recording, alarm-triggered digital buffers, digital recorder output devices, and output file types.