Mike Davis, Senior Director of Business Development at IPVideo, a Motorola Solutions Company, speaks to SJA about using smart sensors to provide security to areas while maintaining privacy.
Davis began his career in the Air Force and spent the last 26 years in the security industry.
Prior to joining IPVideo, he had the opportunity to work in manufacturing, as an integrator, within manufacturer representation and as a consultant.
“About six years ago, I met the team at IPVideo and they hired me in a consulting role to help them grow sales for this fantastic new idea they had called HALO,” Davis explained.
After sales for the HALO smart sensor dramatically increased, Davis found himself onboard with the company on a full-time basis where he currently holds the title of Senior Director, Business Development.
“My primary responsibilities now are educating customers about smart sensors, large data, AI and how HALO can address needs that no other product can.
“I am always learning from our customers and bringing new needs back to our team to continue evolving HALO and improve our value.”
Delving into the details, Davis next explored the challenges that organizations can face when ensuring the safety and security of their premises.
He explained that while traditional solutions such as surveillance cameras can be used to safeguard people and assets at the exterior, perimeter and in certain outside places, inside, there are some areas such as restrooms that are more difficult to protect.
“The main issue with spaces like restrooms is that they are private,” Davis said.
“That means there’s no ability to place a camera in these areas and any sort of imaging is off the table. There is also no ability to record audio.”
As such, any electronic devices that can be placed in public restrooms must not capture personally identifiable information (PII).
“Those privacy rules really prohibit typical security measures. What that means is that anyone who might be taking drugs, for instance, has traditionally been able to use public bathrooms to avoid detection.”
Davis highlighted that in schools, some of the behavior that might have previously gone unnoticed in restrooms includes vaping, vandalism and bullying.
Often, these behaviors evolve, so that vaping develops into smoking or drug use, or bullying turns into aggressive fights.
He noted that in schools, this can result in many students feeling uncomfortable using the restroom, sometimes even going home to avoid using the facilities at school.
While restrooms can be locked so only the person who unlocked them enters, or a person can be placed outside to monitor who goes in, this can be a drain on resources for schools.
Another security challenge that Davis highlighted is single-use bathrooms in restaurants.
“This setting presents multiple opportunities for illegal acts to happen,” he said.
“For example, sexual assaults can occur in the single-use restrooms as someone who is unaware can easily be pushed inside with the perpetrator locking the door behind them.”
Davis noted that another issue retail and hospitality businesses are facing is people looking for a place to do drugs.
Many seek a clean, convenient place that they can use and even be saved, if needed.
“It could be a local coffee shop or hotel – anywhere they aren’t going to question you going into the restroom.”
When hard drugs are used, often there is more than one person partaking and their emotional states may change.
This can lead to potentially violent situations, which can compromise the safety of employees and other customers, as well as lead to the potential for additional crimes.
“Hospitals are another vulnerable place. In waiting rooms, there are clean restrooms that are open to the public,” Davis added.
“For people who might be taking drugs but also may need medical assistance, hospitals are the ideal place to go.”
When speaking about hard drugs, Davis emphasized that fentanyl is of most concern.
He explained that because most overdoses are from the drug being smoked, it can linger long after the user has left.
However, people can have varying reactions to the drug; a dose that someone has smoked previously could be enough to kill the next person that is within the vicinity of that smoke.
“In a convenience store chain that we’re working with, somebody smoked fentanyl in a restroom,” Davis said.
“When they opened the door, standing outside was a mother and daughter. The waft of air that came out immediately caused the daughter to fall unconscious.
“The emergency responders had to use Narcan to bring her back and they said that she may have died had they not been able to get there in time.”
Other public spaces at risk, according to Davis, include libraries; it is easy to go undiscovered in these public spaces and he has yet to speak to a library that hasn’t had an issue with people using substances in their restrooms.
“The most notable one we’re working with currently is a library in Colorado,” he said.
“They’ve had multiple overdoses and many library visitors become affected from residual smoke from other people vaping and smoking.”
Other sectors that are affected by this issue according to Davis include public parks and recreational areas, as well as courthouses.
He revealed that the people getting caught for illegal acts in public restrooms are often the same ones committing those acts again in courthouse bathrooms.
The HALO Smart Sensor is an intelligent device that detects real-time health and safety threats.
HALO is used to help protect people and property in areas of privacy within buildings of all types.
“HALO is very sophisticated in capturing and analyzing data. Advanced users of our products are very good at putting together a storyline using the motion detection, audio and occupancy data,” remarked Davis.
As no privacy rules are violated, it’s possible to pull together a timeline of events.
Additionally, he revealed that the HALO smart sensor can monitor levels of chemicals and particulates in the air, providing notifications once levels have reduced back to normal levels, indicating it is safe to enter the room again or if protective equipment is needed.
Alongside gunshot detection capabilities, HALO can also detect aggressive behavior.
Panic buttons and duress keywords can additionally be used to communicate if there is a threat to safety.
“In places where surveillance cameras cannot be used, HALO is an intelligent and smart sensor that has the ability to deliver more tactical information than any other product in a privacy area,” Davis commented.
According to Davis, in 2021, one high school in Iowa had emergency responders go to the school 35 times, all for events that happened in its restrooms.
“At the end of that year, they installed HALO in all of their restrooms,” Davis revealed. “The next year, they had only two events, so they dramatically reduced those callouts.”
The HALO smart sensor was able to quickly detect and send alerts to initiate a swift response to those incidents.
Students began to understand that the restroom was no longer a place where they could vape unnoticed.
Another school district had the smart sensor installed and was able to report on high levels of carbon monoxide (CO).
They were able to see the data in real-time and identify the cause – a bus idling outside of a restroom with the window open was allowing toxic levels of CO to flow into the restroom.
HALO helped the school prevent further harm to students as they can now make sure the buses refrain from idling under open windows or HVAC intake locations.
Elsewhere, a teacher collapsed in a restroom that had a HALO smart sensor installed, Davis relayed.
“The teacher had a stroke but thankfully, they were able to use a HALO keyword to call for help,” Davis added.
“This allowed them to be found and brought to the hospital swiftly, receiving the medical attention they required.
“Knowing the keyword enabled a quick response that bettered their chance of survival and recovery.”
“We’re expanding HALO by adding a new product line called Amplify,” said Davis.
“These are external sensors, wirelessly connecting to the HALO smart sensor as a hub and the solution’s features and abilities.
“This gives us virtually unlimited levels of additional sensors and allows us to apply ourselves into almost any circumstance.”
For example, in a bathroom, if someone was using drugs but then opened the window to blow the air out, the smart sensor would be able to detect whether the window had been opened or not.
Alternatively, a sensor added to HALO in a school might be able to detect water on the floor if students had deliberately flooded the bathroom.
“HALO is going to be able to capture more data and intelligently process this to look for particular events that are relevant to the customer. The sky’s the limit.”
IPVideo is now a part of Motorola Solutions, which has added resources and capabilities to the company by many orders of magnitude, according to Davis.
“We are growing at an incredible pace and this is allowing us to realize our vision of leading the intelligent and smart sensor market,” Davis commented.
“We’re finding that the intelligence at the edge and on the cloud enables us to process data locally and at a macro level, in the cloud.
“This enables us to apply incredible analytics and leverage the power of AI for pattern recognition to continually improve.”
Davis concluded that IPVideo, a Motorola Solutions Company, sees itself as becoming a part of every commercial building.
Everywhere there is the need to capture and analyze data, whether for air quality, safety, security or buildings optimization, the HALO smart sensor can be used.
This article was originally published in the August edition of Security Journal Americas. To read your FREE digital edition, click here.