How to keep your college campus safe during periods of political unrest

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How video content analytics is helping to ensure public health and safety

As difficulties stemming from current political and social upheaval and the COVID-19 pandemic converge, college administrators are presented with a considerable challenge for the 2024 academic year. Ensuring health and safety of those on campus is paramount. However, these unprecedented times bring forth additional risks that must be addressed to ensure the safety of students, staff, and faculty amidst an vitriolic election season in tandem with a global virus outbreak.

With all the societal changes that COVID-19, other illnesses, as well as political unrest have brought on, the new semester at many universities may look far different than previous years. While some campuses might choose to offer a mixture of online and on campus classes and events, others could opt for exclusively remote learning environments. Still yet, essential activities like research projects will likely go forward with limited staff manning the office. Overall these institutions have undergone a paradigm shift in the educational landscape.

Campus public safety officers are now playing a more important role than ever, as they work to safeguard against incidents such as theft and assault, while also vigilantly monitoring compliance with health mandates. Additionally, university health services have taken on the challenge of contact tracing in order to limit exposure from COVID-19 cases, along with other health dangers that may continue to arise.

As we look ahead to the winter/spring season, it is important for college campuses to be prepared for potential protests. The spring and summer of 2020 have served as a reminder that civil disobedience continues no matter what public health standards are in place. Also, with politics being more and more intense in our country, in order to lessen crowding on campus grounds while de-escalating any possible viral spread and violence, colleges must remain mindful of these protest possibilities throughout the semester.

Security staff can take on additional tasks without needing to expand personnel or break their budgets with the assistance of video surveillance solutions. By leveraging existing university camera networks and adding advanced analytics software, campuses are able to gain strategic insights from footage collected in real-time for crime prevention efforts, mitigating the spread of COVID and other viruses, and much more. Powered by AI technology such as deep learning algorithms, content analysis permits complex recognition capabilities that range from object extraction to classification—delivering powerful security support where it’s needed most.

With the help of video analytics systems, campus operators can detect unexpected alterations in behavior or objects such as changes to illumination. For instance, if a light is turned on or off at an unorthodox time – when there should be no activity occurring within the facility – security teams are quickly notified so they may investigate and ascertain whether any illegalities have taken place.

Intelligent video surveillance can detect a wide array of behaviors, including dwelling—when someone remains present in an area for longer than the pre-set threshold. On university campuses where theft is prevalent and presents high risk to students and faculty alike, this form of detection allows security staff to act quickly in either case—whether it’s due to potential criminal activity or if medical attention is needed immediately. Dwell alerts provide invaluable insight into any given situation that preventative action must be taken with haste.

These are just a few advantages to having a state-of-the-art video surveillance system at your college or university. Now you know a tiny bit of the capabilities of AI and video content analysis and how they can keep your college campus safe during periods of political unrest and to ensure public health and safety, why not reach out to us to learn more? Better yet, get a free test drive.

See if you qualify for a free trial by booking time here: https://letsmeet.io/oppuousllc/15-minute-initial-consultation