It is not the norm for guest speakers during work sessions in front of Bridgeport City Council to be from San Francisco. Then again, it is not often that Council is presented with a program that could make the city safer working in collaboration with all of their departments and businesses.

 

Such was the case Monday as Justine Songey, a senior account executive with Verkada, spent nearly 50 minutes talking to Council about the product her company offers. And what it offers is security in a convenient fashion.

 

Verkada, based out of San Mateo in California, is an already known commodity in West Virginia. The company sells its products to police departments, boards of education, housing authorities, and other entities. The company is in 35 of the state’s 55 counties.

 

The product involves the use of cameras and even sensors for security purposes. The cameras were the key item of focus during the work session.

 

“These are enterprise grade cameras … They record 24/7 at 24 frames per second,” said Songey.

 

Songey did a demonstration of how the cameras work and how all the devises are managed through a web-based platform that’s accessible from any browser. The real bonus is that there are no configurations or plug-ins required.

 

“You can integrate the system with other communities, police departments,” said Songey.

 

The cameras not only record specific areas but do so at a high resolution. The video is also stored in a cloud system that allows those with access to watch. The best part is that the video cameras can be accessed in real time in the event something is suspicious in an area monitored by the cameras.

 

Songey told Council that emails, and texts can also be sent immediately anytime a notification goes off. They can be viewed via computer as well as apps that are set up. The system can search for vehicles and individuals easily by day, hour and even minutes. Songey said the system is set up to easily allow law enforcement to review cases in a short time frame as opposed to hours.

 

One of the features that Songey talked about was the ability to read license plates. If, for example, a vehicle is stolen, the license plate is entered and if the vehicle has passed any cameras set up by the city or by a business that has integrated its cameras with the police department, it will show up every time the vehicle has passed with a watermark showing location, date, and time.

 

“It’s amazing,” said Mayor Andy Lang, who said he has watched the presentation twice and has been impressed both times.

 

Lang said following the meeting that if the city moves forward, it will likely be a six-figure investment. City Manager Randy Wetmore said staff would review the options, as well as work with businesses in the city to see if they want to be involved, and then come back to Songey.

 

Songey emphasized the cameras are easy to move and require the ability to have connectivity to work. She pointed out that the city’s existing broadband infrastructure is already well suited for the program to work.

 

Editor's Note: Top photo shows Bridgeport Police Deputy Chief Mark Rogers, who was joined by Chief Walker at the meeting, as he introduces Justine Songey with Verkada. Bottom photo shows Songey talking to Council as a display of the cameras from offices in San Mateo is shown in real time.