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July 1991
VISIOPHONES: FRENCH HIGH TECH SECURITY
By
Pierre Marie Bourniquel
Commissaire Principal, Chief of Police
Biarritz, France
High-tech security techniques, which may become commonplace
in the next century, are being tested in the French resort city
of Biarritz. The visiophone, a device that transmits both audio
and visual images across fiber optic lines, is being used by the
Biarritz Police Department to augment traditional policing
techniques. The device provides personnel in the police station
the opportunity to access visually the interiors of offices,
stores, nursing homes, and some residences in the city. While
this pilot program began small, it has grown to include over
1,500 units and has changed policing methods and public
perception about police effectiveness.
BIARRITZ AND THE VISIOPHONE
Biarritz, once a renowned resort destination for American
and European vacationers, had fallen on hard economic times
after its popularity was eclipsed by other resort areas on the
Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts. However, when French
Telecom, the French telephone company, began to search for a
suitable site for its visiophone pilot program, Biarritz met the
requirements and was chosen due to several important factors:
* The experiment was to take place in a medium-sized city;
the population of Biarritz, though it swells to 100,000
in the summer, remains at about 30,000 during the
remainder of the year.
* The city's old telephone network needed refurbishing.
* The city's geographical location and population, largely
made up of retirees, was well-suited for the visiophone
experiment.
The visiophone itself is a compact device, measuring 47cm
(18") wide, 42cm (16") deep, and 30cm (11") high. It includes a
17cm (3") square screen, a detachable camera on the right side,
a telephonic module, a full keyboard (with numbers and letters),
and a voice amplifier. The instrument, which has the ability to
access Minitel (the Telecom computer), produces either
black-and-white or color images, depending on the type of camera
used.
For this program, installation of the visiophone is free,
with monthly costs averaging $14.50. Visiophonic calls are
billed at the same rate as regular telephone communications.
The initial network of 50 subscribers in 1985 has steadily
grown. While security was not the motivation for the
development of this pilot program, it quickly became obvious to
the local police that the system offered potentially valuable
applications in the realm of enhanced security, especially for
the large population of elderly citizens in Biarritz.
POLICE USE OF THE VISIOPHONE
Telesurveillance
A number of banks and businesses throughout the city have
alarm systems that are connected to police headquarters. These
alarms are activated accidentally several times a day, resulting
in wasted time and effort by the police. But now, when an alarm
sounds, it is possible to conduct an initial investigation of
the establishment using the visiophone.
In a usual case, the watch officer contacts the business by
visiophone once an alarm sounds, and requests that a visual scan
of the interior be conducted using the detachable camera. All
doubt can be resolved without an officer leaving the precinct.
However, if doubt remains--no answer to the visiophone, poor
vision through the camera, or suspicious activity observed in
the premises--a patrol is dispatched immediately. The patrol
then knows that this may not be a routine call and will
naturally exercise more caution.
Visiophonic Patrolling
As mentioned earlier, the population of Biarritz includes a
significant number of elderly persons. The majority of these
retirees have worked elsewhere and now find themselves isolated
from their families. Many have developed a sense of insecurity
fueled by accounts of rising crime rates.
It is the responsibility of the police, to some degree, to
ease their feelings of insecurity. To this end, a plan was
developed, in late 1988, to integrate the visiophone with the
traditional patrol function.
This plan involves 500 subscribers and impacts
approximately 1,000 residents of the community. The initial
effort required beat officers to contact residents over the age
of 65 personally and provide them with a written explanation
describing the program. These residents were then informed that
if they desired, the police would contact them about twice a
month by visiophone.
Visiophonic patrolling is not intended to replace the
traditional patrol function. Instead, it is meant to supplement
it. The visiophone allows the police, in a sense, to enter the
door of the elderly and reassure them concerning their security.
Because many of the elderly reside in high-rise apartment
buildings, the opportunity for door-to-door personal contact by
the police is significantly reduced. The visiophone provides a
more-intimate level of contact than ever before possible in
these situations.
Answering the Call
The visiophone is, of course, a two-way system, allowing a
citizen with the device to call the police and be greeted by the
reassuring image of an officer on the screen. When an emergency
call is placed, the watch officer can view the interior of the
premises and maintain audiovisual contact with the caller while
the patrol is making its way to the scene. This has proven
particularly reassuring, especially to elderly residents who
become very anxious when facing a potentially dangerous
situation feeling isolated and alone.
RESULTS
Early reaction to the police use of the visiophone has been
very positive. Residents and businesses have expressed
appreciation and a new level of regard for the police since
visiophonic patrolling and telesurveillance have been
instituted. Factors contributing to the success of the
visiophone program were studied by the National Center of
Telecommunication Studies (France). The NCTS drew these
conclusions:
* 90% of the elderly persons surveyed are very satisfied
with the type of police contact made available by the
visiophone.
* The visiophone provides a much more efficient means of
communication than the telephone, since during a typical
conversation, as much as 40% of the message is
communicated by gestures and countenance. The
visiophone permits the communication of the visual
signals that the telephone misses.
* Because communication via the visiophone is interactive,
rather than passive, more information is retained by the
citizen during a conversation.
In addition, the visiophone is rapidly becoming a valuable
investigative tool, allowing a large number of contacts in a
relatively short time. Officers can attain visual contact of a
victim, witness, or potential suspect before ever leaving the
precinct.
CONCLUSION
The technology of the 21st century is augmenting, not
replacing, traditional police functions in Biarritz, France.
Personal contact with victims and witnesses is still an
important responsibility of the police department, as is sound
investigative work and code enforcement. However, advances in
technology, such as the visiophone, are providing law
enforcement with unprecedented opportunities in the realm of
security and surveillance that can be realized today. In this
pilot program, both the police and the residents of the
community are discovering that modern technology can be used
effectively and responsibly to enhance security and to expand
the protection and services offered by law enforcement.