The City of Newport News, Virginia, Connects Live Video Surveillance to Dispatch System & Workflows

The Challenge

With Virginia’s fourth largest municipal police department, the city of Newport News has 180,000 citizens, a major naval shipyard, a joint army and air force base, and the College of William and Mary. Newport News is a city with public safety needs and scenarios as diverse as its communities.

After experiencing a significant rise in crime in its southern precinct, Newport News officials deployed video surveillance cameras across the city. Although crime rates dropped, operators at the city’s public safety answering point (PSAP) found monitoring numerous video feeds cumbersome and inefficient. They also found it difficult to efficiently dispatch police, fire, and emergency medical services based on events monitored via live video feeds.

To better serve its community, Newport News needed to consolidate live video feeds into a common operating picture for more effective surveillance and situational awareness.

The Solution

Newport News selected Hexagon's Safety & Infrastructure division to help the city achieve more efficient and effective video monitoring and incident management through an integrated solution – one that connects and correlates video surveillance with dispatch capabilities for better awareness, faster response times, and more informed decision-making.

Powered by Hexagon’s powerful video surveillance software, Newport News’ citywide video network seamlessly integrates with the PSAP’s industry-leading computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system. Access to live video feeds gives dispatchers real-time insight into events unfolding on the ground, helping them better prepare first responders for emergencies and major events.