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January 2010

Grundy County Adds Video Forensics to its Toolbox

About Grundy County
Often referred to as the "American Heartland" because of its agriculture heritage, Iowa's economy has a diversified economy spanning manufacturing, processing, financial services, biotechnology and green energy. Within Iowa, one of the safest states in which to live, Grundy County is located within some of the riches soil in central Iowa where along with grain, several corn and bean production facilities are located.

The Grundy County Sheriff's Office is the law enforcement agency for the rural area along with provides contract law enforcement for 8 of the 9 towns throughout the county. The Sheriff's Office, which employs a Sheriff and eleven deputies, handles routine and emergency calls for service and regularly patrols all areas of the county which spans approximately 450 square miles. Along with other law enforcement agencies throughout the nation, a wide variety of crimes committed are a challenge, and require investigation. The Sheriff's Office strives to continually implement technology in effort to continue to keep its residents safe.

Along with other initiatives, Investigator Ron Tordoff adopted video forensics for analysis of crime scene video footage. Over the past several years, the agency has used video forensics to generate leads, identify suspects and solve crimes. With more and more security cameras installed in public places along with private businesses, crime scene video is a major source of evidence for Investigator Tordoff and other law enforcement personnel.

The Challenge
When Investigator Tordoff was researching video forensics solutions, he required a system that was economical, and easy to use for the smaller law enforcement agency in rural Iowa. As with many other law enforcement agencies, the Grundy County Sheriff's Office budgets are limited while operating costs are increasing. Because of this, Tordoff knew the only way the agency would be able to afford a new video forensics system would be through grant assistance from the federal government.

As he researched available funding and video forensics systems capable of meeting the needs, Tordoff discovered Salient Stills, a video forensics provider which offered a comparatively low-priced VideoFOCUS system. Tordoff reported the staff members at Salient Stills were very understanding of Grundy County's needs and the budget to work within. A package was presented that would be within a laptop computer where officers could take the system out in the field and capture footage at the location of surveillance recording. Recorded footage could then be processed while the original footage could be secured into evidence. This was a major step in moving forward as the best video playback occurs when the officer can connect directly to the system that recorded the footage. A grant proposal was put together and within a few months the funding was approved which assisted the agency in the purchase of the new technology through Salient Stills.

The Results
Since he doesn't use Video FOCUS daily, Investigator Tordoff appreciates that it's easy for him to remember how to use the system. In addition he likes the range of VideoFOCUS features along with Salient Stills offers for on-site training and responsive customer support which is only a phone call away.

Investigator Tordoff has used VideoFOCUS for several years with much success. The video forensics system, specifically designed for law enforcement use, has assisted in solving local crimes ranging from bad checks passed in convenience stores (which led back to the burglary where the checks were stolen), to methamphetamine materials theft cases, to stolen livestock.

Investigator Tordoff recalls a car wash burglary investigation on a Thursday morning during one winter day. The owner had a surveillance system where cameras recorded a suspect and his vehicle during the time of the burglary in the early morning hours. Utilizing VideoFOCUS, Investigator Tordoff was able to recover the footage from the surveillance system and produce some clear still images from the video footage. These revealed a white male suspect driving a white mini van, possibly an Oldsmobile, with a rear sliding door on the driver's side.

On the same date, a neighboring county also investigated an attempted car wash burglary. Footwear impressions found at that crime scene were similar to those found at the Grundy County crime scene. By Thursday afternoon, Grundy County distributed suspect and vehicle information to surrounding law enforcement agencies. During the early morning hours of Friday morning an officer heard information concerning a suspect apprehended during a burglary to a grain elevator facility in a county approximately 60 miles away. The suspect was a white male driving a white Oldsmobile mini van.

During the course of follow-up investigation on Friday morning it was found the white Oldsmobile mini van matched the vehicle captured on and recovered from the surveillance system at the Grundy County crime scene. Additional evidence located during the investigation linked the suspect and the vehicle resulting in criminal charges being filed for burglary in Grundy County. This case was wrapped up within 48 hours.

In addition to using VideoFOCUS in Grundy County, Investigator Tordoff also provides assistance to other agencies with cases, by reviewing video footage for leads.

The Solution
VideoFOCUS, an advanced video forensics solution, dramatically improves the ability to capture and export crime scene video, working with proprietary video data formats from surveillance and security systems, as well as from cell phones. Through this system, law enforcement officers can capture video directly from proprietary DVRs, while the video is played.

Recently, Grundy County upgraded their system to VideoFOCUS 3.0 which adds multiple video and image filters, cut/copy/paste editing features and audio capture, as well as a video evidence audit trail. Using innovative processing algorithms, VideoFOCUS is the leading video import, screen capture, analog capture and conversion system for law enforcement. It digitizes analog video, and captures analog and digital video from open and proprietary systems, for use by investigators, while preserving video integrity.

"As we utilize video surveillance in multiple case investigations throughout each year, Grundy County Sheriff Rick Penning did not hesitate to the funding request to upgrade our system which increased or technology capabilities. I like the new system upgrade along with on-site support for learning about the new features," said Tordoff. "Soon after we had the new system upgrades this year, VideoFOCUS 3.0 assisted us with another case investigation."

A billfold containing a debit card was reported stolen. A suspect then attempted to use the debit card at an ATM machine in a bank in a neighboring county. Grundy County secured a video from the bank surveillance system. This VHS system had several cameras multiplexed, with several video streams combined on a single tape.

Using VideoFOCUS, Investigator Tordoff imported the segment of video footage that recorded seven different cameras during the time period the stolen debit card was used at the ATM machine. The video was then demultiplexed which provided individual footage from each camera in the bank. On the ATM camera the suspect was clearly observed entering the lobby area and attempting to use the stolen debit card, providing exceptional evidence in the case. Through the investigation the suspect was identified and the case officer confronted the suspect "within a few hours," of when the Grundy County Sheriff's Office started processing the video footage, which resulted in clearing the case and recovering stolen property.

"It's good 'ole police work using the tools in our toolbox," said Tordoff.

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