February 22 , 2023
The Federal District Court in Brazil’s capital city of Brasília uses its new high-end security system to prevent defendants from escaping during trial, and to identify potential criminals wandering its facilities. Intelligent video analytics can quickly alert authorities to possible riots, triggering police to respond and prevent an uprising. Thirty buildings are efficiently managed from one location.
CHALLENGE: Keeping employees and visitors safe in 30 buildings
Occurrences of defendants escaping and rioting had been a very real risk. The Court of Justice of the Federal District and Territories (TJDFT) considered this when it undertook preventive security actions. Their previous surveillance consisted of analog cameras connected to stand-alone DVRs – outdated, with obsolete equipment, providing no integration between the different sites.
The court district needed a better way to monitor 30 buildings spread across Brazil’s federal capital, to protect employees and visitors and ensure the safety of thousands of Brazilian citizens who use the agency services. Ultimately, the court needed a system to help capture fugitives and identify criminals.
TJDFT sought a modern video management system that could integrate all the buildings of the judicial district across the capital, some of them in remote areas. The court also needed to monitor the offices from one central location. It was essential to ensure the safety of people and property, and the security of the system itself.TJDFT sought a modern video management system that could integrate all the buildings of the judicial district across the capital, some of them in remote areas. The court also needed to monitor the offices from one central location. It was essential to ensure the safety of people and property, and the security of the system itself.
In the main building alone, up to 5,000 citizens visit the location monthly. Other buildings are located in the court complex, too, such as the public warehouse (the central holding area for guarding weapons and objects from crimes), a museum, medical areas, and a retail complex.
We bought our cameras at different times based on cost, functionality, and warranty. We had 30 buildings that were using different cameras, so we needed to feel confident that they would all integrate into the federated software system without any hassle.
Igor Martins da Silva, manager for the project at TJDFT
SOLUTION: Scalable system with smart video analytics
The Federal District Court expanded and upgraded its existing security infrastructure with a district-wide solution using cameras equipped with intelligent video analytics (perimeter, loitering, and forensic search) from Axis Communications and Bosch, all integrated with the Milestone XProtect Expert open platform video management software (VMS) for easy monitoring, prevention and incident investigation.
A more efficient system, scalable and ready for future growth
Thesystemimplementation took place in stages, beginning in 2015. Since theTJDFT is a public agency, each stage required a bidding process. The judicial police were responsible for preparing the project descriptionto carry out the bidding,withthe services and products contracted.
We chose the most critical buildings to receive the new technology: the largest ones with the greatest flow of people. At the time, we updated nine buildings with the new surveillance solution.
Igor Martins da Silva, manager for the project at TJDFT
In 2017, the project expanded to the rest of the buildings in the second stage. By then,the contractrequired the use of theMilestone VMS platform. For the third stage in 2020, theTJDFTupdated all the licenses and extendedthe Milestone Care Plus service, which provides maintenance, upgrades and complete product support.
Around 1,170 cameras are installedin common areas outside and inside, especially where criminals are held. As the largest insizewith the greatest number of courtrooms, the main building received the most cameras, totaling 450. The other 29 buildings have 40 to 110 cameras each, depending on their size and needs. Axis models make up 80percent of the devices.
The system is scalable and open architecture, ready to handle new devicesandadd more integrations. The management of all forums in the Federal District is handled in a virtual machine on a SQL server. However,the video recordings are kept locally in each buildingto avoid overloadingthe central storage.
In the main building, the monitoring room has more robust servers and a video wall featuring ten 47-inch monitors displaying images. Police officers monitor the system 24 hours a day with support from the IT team, if necessary.
The personnel who operate the system received training on the functions most useddaily: retrieving images, searching, configuringviewmosaics, and checking systemalarms.As of summer 2022,all TJDFT buildings havetheMilestone VMS installed,and newsitesthat arebuilt in the future will also receive the solution.
RESULTS: Efficient monitoring of all buildings improved security
The Milestone open platform delivered integration with existing cameras from different manufacturers, technical support, and high performance. The new video system has helped security personnel deter defendants from escaping andcrowds from forming. During emergencies, local law enforcement have direct access to all camera views.
The Court has a mission to provide the community with access to justice and peaceful conflict resolution. It serves all cities in the Federal District, which has an estimated population of nearly 3 million people as of 2022. This brings together forums from 33 administrative regions that make up the Federal District of Brasília.
Proactively deterring crime with smart video analytics
Now, all 30 buildings are monitored from their unique locationas well asfrom one central command center that integrates into the Milestone XProtect Smart Wall. If the system detectssomething unusualin the courtrooms, it triggers a riot alert sopolice can take necessary measures - fast.
Several crimes are tried in the forums,and there is a risk of escape attempts by the defendants involved in these trials. Intelligent video can quickly identify these riots and trigger police to intervene to prevent an uprising. The magistrate can alsoactivatea panic button and the alarm sounds in the monitoring center.
With the motionsensor enabledon the cameras and the use of motion filtering, finding suspicious activity became much faster. Objects left behind in courtrooms can be identified more efficiently, reducingdangeroussituations such as a bomb hidden in a bag.
Alarms and forensic search speed up response to incidents
Installing Milestone's VMS brought savings to TJDFT. Today it is possible to monitor much larger areas with fewer cameras and people.
In the past, the alarm systemwastriggered by telephone, a slow and complicated process thatexposed employees and visitors to risk. With the new system, analytics are integrated withcourtroompanic buttons. These can be activated immediately via the VMS for faster incident response.
Each TJDFT building has its own monitoring center. Local police follow up inreal-timeand react to emergencies. Each center is integrated into the central command center at the headquarters, which has access to images and alarms from all buildings.
In building access control, when a person usestheirtax identification number to enter, the system indicates ifanarrestorderwasissued againstthem. If a warrant is found, an alarm is triggered in the system,and the team closely followsthis person's pathin the building. Forensic search analyzes physical characteristicsandclothing attributes, so the cameras can find and track the person.
While this person is being monitored, another police officer contacts the agency that issued the arrest warrant to determine if it is still valid and requires action. Since implementing the project, this function has helped law enforcement agencies identify, locate, and arrest people with a valid arrest warrant.
We were dealing with a variety of incidents such as unauthorized access, defendants, people with pending arrest warrants, and robberies. The ability to see the video and react instantly, or even before an incident occurs, is a huge advantage for us.
Igor Martins da Silva, manager for the project at TJDFT
About TJDFT
The Court of Justice of the Federal District and Territories (Tribunal deJustiçado Distrito Federal e dosTerritóriosorTJDFT)isa federal body of the judiciary, founded in 1960. It serves all cities inBrazil’sFederal District, which currently has an estimated population of nearly 3 million people. Its mission is to provide the community with access to justice and peaceful conflict resolution.
