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Securing the Future at Youth Villages By Sara Hoare Since its inception over 20 years ago, Youth Villages has been providing guidance for troubled children and their families through an array of rehabilitating services including in-home counseling, residential treatment facilities, and adoption and foster care programs. A non-profit organization, Youth Villages boasts 41 facilities spanning six states where children are treated for behavioral problems, substance addiction, and overcoming physical or sexual abuse. In the past, surveillance systems proved to be an invaluable tool at two of their facilities, so when funding finally became available to provide cameras at additional locations, the Bartlett, TN campus was first in line. As a residential facility, this campus primarily treats children with emotional and behavioral problems. Cameras were required in six residential cottages and a school on the grounds. Crescent Communications, a Certified Vicon Dealer, had previously been contracted to perform work at another Youth Villages location, unrelated to CCTV. John Holland recalls when he was first made aware of their interest in a camera system. “When I heard they were looking for CCTV, Mike Rose (the local Vicon Territory Manager) was the first person I called. One of the things I like most about Vicon is that I don’t have to be an expert on all the products. I just call Mike and I can get a walk through and site survey done and the system designed for us right away.” Given the nature of the application, Mike’s challenge was to design a system that would provide the information they needed in the least intrusive manner. Since the system would be monitored 24 hours a day, impact-resistant VC-600WIR infrared mini dome cameras were installed in the sleeping rooms so that clear images could be seen even in complete darkness. Nicole Gebke, CMSW, Director of the Bartlett campus, has been pleased with the performance of these cameras, especially when used in conjunction with the motion detection features of the ViconNet software. “I love it,” she said. “I love the quality of the video. I can see kids at night in dark bedrooms and we can trace an area on the screen around their bodies to detect any movement.” Additional infrared camera models VC-620 and VC-621 were installed throughout the campus, as well as VC-600 mini domes. Local viewing and control from each of the cottages is accomplished via Kollector Pro Digital Video Recorders. A fiber network was installed across the vast campus to bring all video signals back to the Kollector Elite Hybrid Digital Network Video Recorder, which acts as the head-end workstation for the entire facility. Fiber NTSC links with multiplexed outputs allow real-time video from all cameras to be viewed in administration without interfering with the monitoring ability of the local managers on site. Nicole explains how they view all locations remotely. “Our Crisis Team monitors all cameras from one main console and can react immediately if there is an incident. It’s like having an extra set of eyes.” If an incident should occur, the ability to easily playback the recorded video is something Nicole truly appreciates. “Before we had the camera system, it was difficult to resolve disputes and verify what actually happened. This makes it easier. Recently, there was an incident where two boys were fighting, but they claimed it was only horseplay. I was able to review the video with them so they could see what I saw. It helps the kids understand how others perceive their behaviors.” The camera system also serves as a deterrent to prevent future incidents. “Having the system protects the staff and the kids, plus it helps to keep the kids in balance. Everyone knows it’s there. It’s a matter of prevention versus reaction,” Nicole adds. Both Crescent Communications and Mike Rose from Vicon have trained Nicole and the staff at the Bartlett campus on the operation and features of their new surveillance system. John Holland with Crescent is thankful for the close relationship he has directly with Vicon. “The training and support we have received has been phenomenal,” he says. While Nicole admits that her crisis team members and managers are the primary users of the system, she is happy that she can access it at her convenience. “The software is easy to navigate,” says Nicole. “I like that I can watch the cameras from my office. I can go on my computer anytime and make sure that someone is manning the system.” The Youth Villages campus in Bartlett, TN is truly a unique application for a surveillance system. It is utilized for security, resolution of disputes and prevention of incidents, but the primary purpose of this system coincides with their goal of helping everyone involved with their organization to work toward a brighter tomorrow. “At Youth Villages, we’re all about learning,” Nicole says proudly. “We use the system as a teaching tool for both the staff and the kids. We can point out positive behaviors as well as areas that may need improvements. It helps us to see what we can do better next time. It’s not just about watching and monitoring, but using what you have.”
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LECTROSONICS RESTORES AUDIO ORDER AT CAMP ROBINSON Headquartered in Kenner, LA, with satellite offices in Little Rock, AR and Memphis, TN, Crescent Communications is a video dealer and A/V systems integration company that handles a wide variety of projects. The design/build firm tackles everything from television studios for the broadcast sector through A/V systems for custom conference rooms as well as the church market. The task of restoring order to the sound system in the Little Rock TAG Conference Room at the National Guard’s Command Presentation Center was handed to the staff at Crescent Communications’ Little Rock office. Prior to the Crescent Communications overhaul, the Little Rock TAG Conference Room originally had an old, manually operated analog mixer that handled the audio from the room’s four ceiling mounted condenser microphones along with the rest of their A/V devices, which included an input from their Tandberg 8000 video teleconferencing system. Problems arose because the Tandberg system’s boundary microphones didn’t “play” well with the overhead condenser mics, as Crescent Communications’ John Holland, system designer for the project, explained. “The Tandberg system utilized its own very sensitive boundary mics for its audio,” said Holland, “but these microphones, combined with the four condenser mics, caused rampant feedback issues. To compensate for this situation, the amplified audio signal in the room had very little bass and, as a result, sounded tinny and weak. The problem was exacerbated by the nature of their manual mixer. When a presenter was unhappy with the room’s sound, they would fiddle with the mixer’s knobs and switches—usually to disastrous results.” To address this unfortunate state of affairs, the Crescent Communications team, led by engineer Andy Simpson, installed a Lectrosonics AM8 Automatic Microphone Mixer. With the mixer’s NOM (number of open mics) attenuation circuitry that reduces the gain on unused microphones, combined with automated control via a Crestron CP2E control processor coupled with an STX-1700c wireless touch panel, the audio quality improved dramatically. According to Holland, “We selected the AM8 because it was ideally suited to accommodate the relatively small number of input sources and its NOM attenuation was a highly desirable feature given the previous feedback issues the client experienced. Unlike the previous system, we were now able to utilize all of the room’s microphones simultaneously—without losing quality or low end.” “The mixer’s ability to be controlled by an automation system was another important factor,” continued Holland. “The client was very enthusiastic about this capability, given the problems that resulted from people changing the mixer settings without any knowledge of what they were doing. Now, with the preset levels on the AM8 and reinforced with commands from the Crestron, the client can walk into the conference room, turn the system on from the touch panel, and the audio settings will be consistent with the ones we programmed during installation. This arrangement also saves time because it makes the audio control in the room transparent to the presenter.” According to Simpson, interfacing the AM8 with the Crestron automation system was quite straight forward. “We interfaced the AM8 to the Crestron using the DB9 to 3.5 mini LecNec adapter cable that was supplied with the mixer,” noted Simpson. “Since the Crestron limits its control to calls for presets, we defined all level settings, etc. right on the mixer. The Lectrosonics system was very easy to set up. Not once did we require technical support.” With the Arkansas National Guard’s overhauled conference room system fully operational, Holland reports the results have been well-received. “The client is very happy with the system,” enthused Holland. “This project was our first experience with Lectrosonics LecNet automatic audio mixers, and it’s worked out well for everyone. We look forward to working with the company on future projects.” About the Lectrosonics AM8 Automatic Microphone Mixer About Lectrosonics
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