Corrections

Wisconsin’s First Parole Center Implements Pelco High-Resolution Cameras
by Soma Balber, Customer Relations Specialist, sbalber@pelco.com

Accurate Controls, in Ripon, Wisconsin, completed a $1.2 million security system installation at the Milwaukee Secure Detention Center last September. Now, because additional funds have been made available, Accurate Controls is working to upgrade the facility’s Pelco System 9740 matrix system to a System 9760. The company will also add 55 CM9760 KBDs, 32 Spectra II P/T/Z cameras and 26 fixed cameras, a combination of Pelco ICS100 and ICS200 Camclosures, to the original 75 high-resolution cameras installed at the facility.

"We began the installation last year about this time, and the upgrade is being done as we speak," said T.J. Rogers, Vice-President of Accurate Controls.

The detention center is Wisconsin’s first probation and parole facility dedicated to housing probation and parole violators. It serves as a holding center for men who have been on supervision in the community and violated those conditions. The nine-story building, run by the Department of Corrections for the State of Wisconsin Department of Administration, has 1,048 beds and houses more than 4,000 probation and parole offenders a year.

Safety and Security First

"When designing the center, safety and security were the first issues of concern," stated Ron Mastalski, Architect for The Durrant Group. The project, including its engineering, design, layout, and installation, spanned two years. "With input from the Warden and the security officers at the facility, Accurate Controls made some modifications to ensure the satisfaction of the client."

Accurate Controls designed the state-of-the-art software to meet the specific needs of the detention center. The high-tech system was created for ease of use and security, with the operator stations using a graphical user interface running on a Windows® 2000 platform.

"The computers are networked with 13 Modicon Quantum PLCs, a Harding Instruments DXI digital audio system with a 100-base T network, and a Pelco camera system via RS485," stated Rogers.

More than 1,000 doors, 685 intercoms, and 150 high-resolution cameras, which include the Pelco 100 Series and 200 Series Camclosures and SD5 Spectra II Integrated Pan/Tilt and Zoom Camera Domes with lowlight capabilities, are controlled and monitored throughout the facility. Each operator station can automatically control and call up any camera based on events such as intercom calls and duress and door alarms.

"The security system records all alarms and important events to a CD-ROM and has the ability to retrieve, view, save, and print the specific records from a multifunction database," Rogers added.

The system also provides additional safeguards, such as video visitation, which allows inmates to communicate with visitors within a secure area.

"Inmates simply leave their cell and go to a special room equipped with video visitation," stated Rogers. "The visitation system, which consists of 51 visitor stations tied to 51 inmate stations, is not networked, but is operated through multiple automatic timing functions that are controlled through the visitation officer’s station and the Modicon Quantum PLC system." The video-graphic security system is effective and user friendly. The touch-screen and mouse-driven system integrates several features together, including video surveillance, audio function, and door monitoring.

Facility-Wide Control

"Officers can view the entire facility via color cameras from their computer screens, and with a touch of a mouse, can adjust audio functions with intercom stations and overhead paging speakers, as well as lighting and door usage," said Rogers. "Accurate Controls went above and beyond the call to make the client happy," said Mastalski.

"We are smaller than our competitors," added Rogers, "but we have small-town personal service. That’s what sets us apart. This allows us to be flexible and innovative at the same time."

Since 1982, Accurate Controls has designed custom security systems for more than 100 correctional facilities in Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Indiana, North Carolina, Mississippi, Colorado, and Arizona.