December 2007

Benefits and Costs

Agencies can maximize the benefits of security systems by developing a process for storing and analyzing data as well as by integrating the system with as many existing and planned technologies as possible.

Benefits SouthEastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) equipped four of its buses with a surveillance and monitoring system using digital video. This resulted in a 32 percent reduction in claims and a $15 million decrease in annual payouts. All Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) stations have at least eight strategically placed CCTV cameras performing constant surveillance, which has led to a decrease in crime rates. Other benefits include reductions in fare evasion and assaults on transit-agency property. Transit users report feeling safer with the presence of security cameras in stations.

Costs Integrating a security system with other technology could prove expensive. Stand-alone cameras may not be as cost-effective as cameras integrated into a larger security system. Staffing needs for training and monitoring may increase. Additional storage equipment must be purchased to archive data.

Security images often are transmitted back to security command centers such as the one pictured above.