Surveillance LEAPS to new heights with surveillance plane

Deltek Analyst Evan Halperin reports.

The city of Lancaster, Calif. has taken a step toward becoming the first city in the United States with a plane dedicated to in-air video surveillance. The Lancaster City Council voted to approve the program, which will cost nearly $90,000 per month for the ten-hours-per-day flights. The program is called Law Enforcement Platform System (LEAPS) and may start flying in May 2012.

Last month, GovWin’s Justice/Public Safety and Homeland Security team published four blogs in recognition of Crime Prevention Month, the second of which was dedicated to video surveillance. Research Analyst Joanna Salini discussed a 1994 article out of London titled “CCTV: Looking out for you,” which set the stage for England’s surveillance and likely many programs in the United States.

Surveillance is a vital part of public safety, as many agencies rely on cameras and other monitoring equipment when manpower is not sufficient. Since the onset of the recent economic recession, many agencies have laid off public safety officials to save money. In order to still keep streets safe, these agencies have looked to surveillance as a way of making up for these losses.

For the complete blog, go here.