Ian Ehrenberg, vice president and general manager of NiceVision Technologies, a division of Israeli-based NICE Systems, spoke to UPI in a telephone interview saying that NiceVision markets the comprehensive surveillance software internationally and in the United States.

Real-time surveillance systems can now alert first responders when they monitor something out of the ordinary, such as an unusual bag, parked car, or unruly persons, allowing them to identify threats and notify authorities, Ehrenberg said. The systems have the potential to be highly effective in preventing crime, especially in areas where police officers cannot constantly monitor situations in person, he said.

Britain already has 3 million closed circuit surveillance cameras in operation and they proved crucial in rapidly solving the investigation into the July 7, 2005 London transport system suicide bombings that killed 52 people as well as the four bombers.

"The use of technology is the only way to help stem this war, to help battle some of this crime," said Ehrenberg.

Previously, closed circuit television was used to recreate events in trials or to help law enforcement officers ascertain evidence, but such mechanisms could not be used for crime prevention unless a security guard was watching the cameras with the utmost attention and could then notify authorities.

Ehrenberg said human fallibility prevents such methods from being reliable. Where human error can fail, using technology as an alterative can act as a deterrent, he said. "No city can afford to have police officers everywhere. It's just not economically possible," Ehrenberg said. "Criminals are sophisticated enough to know that when the officers are. When there are eyes in one spot, they'll go somewhere else. Technology is becoming the way around that."

By using "artificial intelligence" technology, anything out of the ordinary can be instantly reported and the appropriate steps may be taken, Ehrenberg said. The systems store ordinary movements or objects so they do not falsely trigger the system, he said.

Alerts usually go to a first responder who is watching on a video bank, but new technologies developed by NiceVision now allow real-time streaming video to be sent to portable electronic devices. Ehrenberg said. As WiFi becomes more ubiquitous, such technologies could become more widespread, he said.

NiceVision was originally a voice recording division of NICE Systems but its video technologies continue to develop as threats evolved, Ehrenberg said.

The al-Qaida attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 "became a major driver for this real-time detection technology," Ehrenberg said. The key to its success was "having the ability to go out there and use the same infrastructure that's just recording and creating history, but make it proactive, and alarm on notice," he said.

NICE already has contracts with several U.S. metropolitan areas as well as the U.S. federal government, Ehrenberg said. But security considerations prevented him from identifying the location of most of them, he said.

However, one Nicevision security system is already in place and operating on Liberty Island, home of the Statue of Liberty, Ehrenburg said. Cameras installed on the island create a 360-degree veil of security around the monument to monitor an intrusion from the water that might threaten the statue and its visitors, he said.

"What makes this most complicated is the fact that it's a public waterway," said Ehrenberg. The system had to be programmed to disregard movements such as seagulls, waves and ferries, he said.

Ehrenberg said NiceVision surveillance systems only alerted responders to a threat and therefore did not pose an invasion of privacy. "It allows for everyone to feel more comfortable that their privacy is not being invaded," he said.

The deterrent effect of round-the-clock surveillance systems automatically acted as effective deterrents to many criminals, Ehrenberg said.

"You can't have someone there all the time, can't always have the eyes monitoring," he said. "But a camera with the artificial intelligence can be there 24/7, doesn't need a bathroom break, doesn't need a lunch break, doesn't go on vacation. It just runs, and when it sees something, it sees it and takes action."

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