Duluth to Install Iron Sky City Surveillance System

A new Iron Sky city surveillance system will feed live and recorded video from cameras in downtown Duluth and other locations to the Duluth Police Department’s communications center, to computers in patrol cars and even to a police officer's Iphone. Initial installation of the Iron Sky system, including 18 high-definition cameras, will begin in April and will be completed in the next 45 to 60 days, according to Duluth Police Chief Randy Belcher. 

This means that as of about June 1 Duluth citizens will be safer, and criminals will be easier to catch. In addition to downtown Duluth, the web-based system will feature cameras along Buford Highway and at Duluth City Hall, the Public Safety Center, the Public Works Department, and Bunten Road Park. Existing cameras at Duluth City Hall will be incorporated into the new system. The approximate $290,000 cost of the system is covered entirely by seized drug asset funds, Belcher said.

A video specialist working alongside the police dispatcher on duty will monitor the Iron Sky system. The chief anticipates hiring and training two additional personnel as video specialists. The city’s Iron Sky system will be monitored 24 hours a day, he said. “With Iron Sky, we have state-of-the-art crime-fighting technology to support our officers,” the chief said. “This is an important new tool in our arsenal.” 

“Eventually our goal is to have cameras citywide,” Belcher said. The police department plans to offer alarm monitoring to local business and residences, which would generate revenue to maintain and expand the city’s Iron Sky system, he said.

The high-definition cameras will be mounted on existing city light poles or on poles installed by the city, Belcher said. The 360-degree cameras can pan, tilt and zoom. The camera footage will be so clear, the chief said, “it will be like watching TV.” The live video will be stored on CDs, he said.

Cameras will be mounted at major intersections, Belcher said. If there’s a traffic accident, he explained, the dispatcher radios a patrol car to respond. While the police officer is en route, the video specialist can access the camera at the accident scene by computer, evaluate the situation and determine if an ambulance or wrecker needs to be dispatched.

In the case of a business robbery, the chief continued, the video specialist can pull up the camera at the crime location, identify the suspect and getaway vehicle, zoom in on the license tag, determine the direction of escape, follow the suspect by calling up other cameras on the route, and advise patrol cars in pursuit of the suspect.

Other cities with Iron Sky surveillance systems include College Park, Decatur, Hapeville, Lilburn, Norcross, Sandy Springs, and Valdosta. The Midtown Improvement District and Historic Westside Village in Atlanta also use Iron Sky systems. Iron Sky is based in Katy, TX, near Houston and has regional offices in more than a dozen major U.S. cities including Atlanta.