Fall 2010 Newsletter

Keeping an Eye on St. Louis

Will Electronics, St. Louis PD Deploy Megapixel
Cameras Along Riverfront Near Arch

Looming above St. Louis' downtown district, the metal curves of the Gateway Arch glint in the sun, dominating the eastern edge of the city's skyline. As much a "must-see" landmark as the Golden Gate Bridge and Empire State Building, the Arch and its surrounding Jefferson National Expansion Memorial grounds attract more than four million visitors each year, who walk among the groves of Ash trees, explore the Museum of Westward Expansion and ride the unique tram to enjoy the breathtaking views from the monument's observation deck.

With so many popular attractions centered in one place, it's understandable that civic leaders would want to take proactive measures to ensure the safety and well-being of visitors to the area. The high volume of tourists frequenting the area can attract criminals, and in the post 9-11 world, the Arch stands out as a potential terrorist target. Of particular concern would be a USS Cole-style attack, wherein a boat laden with explosives could theoretically make its way toward the river bank adjacent to the Arch grounds before detonating.

In response to these and other security issues, the Downtown St. Louis Partnership – a collaboration of the St. Louis Development Corporation and the City of St. Louis Port Authority – began working with the St. Louis Police Department to establish guidelines and take bids for a comprehensive network of surveillance cameras at the edge of the Arch grounds, along the Mississippi riverfront between the Poplar and Eads bridges. After careful consideration, Will Electronics emerged as the best candidate to satisfy the order.

Ed Pfeiffer, a sergeant assigned to the Intelligence Division of the St. Louis Police Department and current administrator of the new system, said the new surveillance system was needed in order to monitor and secure the port district area, where boat and barge traffic frequently idle and pass by the area where the Arch grounds meet the riverfront. Laclede's Landing was also included within the project's parameters, due to its close proximity to the Arch grounds and because the bars and restaurants there attract a high volume of foot traffic between the two sites.

The new system would need to be Internet protocol (IP) based, with multiple cameras transmitting directly to a central monitoring station in the 911 center at the St. Louis Police Department's headquarters at Tucker and Clark streets, nearly two miles away.

The system installed by Will Electronics exceeded all expectations. Will's technicians positioned 18 Megapixel cameras along the riverfront. Most of the cameras are trained on monitoring boat and barge activity, but some have pan/tilt capability that allow them to view the Arch grounds as well. Thirteen additional cameras were installed strategically around Laclede's Landing. Will Electronics technicians also set up the viewing station within the police department, installing high-resolution monitors and a DVR-based storage system for recording and storing video footage. Will's technicians also provided the training to the personnel who would utilize the equipment.

"The equipment installed by Will Electronics is truly impressive," said Pfeiffer, who served as the liaison between the police department and the Port Authority during the project. "The picture quality of the Megapixel cameras is excellent; we can zoom in from great distances and pick up amazing details, such as license plate numbers and facial characteristics. It's especially valuable when reviewing footage from the DVR, when we can analyze still images from the system and zoom in on specific areas of the image for greater detail. It's vastly superior to conventional CCTV-based systems, which are only useful for monitoring activities in real time."

An additional element required of the new system is expandability: a much-publicized redesign of the Arch grounds is planned to begin in the coming years, and the system would need to be flexible to allow for the easy repositioning of existing cameras and installation of additional cameras. The system installed by Will Electronics satisfies both requirements.

"Will Electronics did an outstanding job in delivering this new system," said Pfeiffer. "They were extremely professional in training our personnel on how to use the system, and followed up whenever we experienced any issues. They've been great to work with."

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