Supercharge Your Investigations With the Right Video Management System
Phil Malenscik, Vertical Account Manager, Public Safety for Genetec
When a crime or incident occurs, every second counts. Whether it’s a security breach, theft, or an unauthorized access attempt, public safety teams need to act quickly to determine what happened, who was involved, and what actions to take next.
Traditional investigative methods — digging through hours of footage, manually piecing together evidence, and cross-referencing logs — can be slow and cumbersome. With a modern video management system (VMS), public safety teams can streamline investigations, improve response times, and uncover critical insights faster. By integrating automation, artificial intelligence, and advanced data visualization tools, a VMS transforms how investigators collect, analyze, and act on evidence.
Improving evidence collection
Investigators don’t have time for trial and error. A robust VMS provides automation and intelligence to help them move seamlessly from incident response to in-depth investigation. Here are a few of the tools that help investigators get the information they need right away to begin their analysis.
- Automated incident response features allow teams to pre-program event-to-action sequences. When an alarm is triggered, the system automatically initiates the necessary actions, such as notifying dispatch, activating specific cameras, and generating real-time reports. This eliminates guesswork and ensures a smooth transition from monitoring to investigating.
- Visual tracking is another huge advantage. Instead of manually searching multi-camera feeds for a suspect, operators can use their VMS to follow a subject across various views. This assisted tracking significantly speeds up suspect identification and prevents losing crucial visual information when a person moves from one camera’s field of view to another.
- Incident storyboarding further streamlines the investigation process by allowing operators to compile relevant video footage into a single, clear timeline. By dragging and dropping clips, investigators can reconstruct events, highlight key moments, and build a comprehensive visual report ready for review and sharing.
- AI-powered video analytics simplify the process of sifting through hours of video data to pinpoint the relevant footage. Forensic search capabilities and camera partner plug-ins allow investigators to find people, vehicles, and objects. By setting specific search parameters — such as time, location, object type, or color — teams can quickly identify and retrieve crucial evidence.
- Metadata search also helps by overlaying key data on video footage. Whether it’s alarms, sensor inputs, or access logs, metadata provides context to the footage, helping investigators understand what happened, why, and how it occurred. A modern VMS can record and organize metadata, allowing security teams to cross-reference information across multiple sources in one place.
Reconstructing events with advanced data visualization
Investigations often need to reconstruct events clearly. A VMS with advanced data visualization tools allows security teams to recreate timelines, providing a clearer picture of what happened.
Multi-angle playback and synchronization offer an in-depth review by displaying live and recorded footage side-by-side. Investigators can loop specific segments, zoom into particular moments, and analyze events from multiple perspectives. These tools make it easier to isolate key details and establish an accurate sequence of events.
Integrating data from other sources like Internet of Things (IoT) devices and third-party systems further improves event reconstruction. By incorporating sensor data, GPS coordinates, intercom logs, and even point-of-sale records, a VMS can transform fragmented information into a complete and actionable intelligence picture.
Ensuring secure collaboration and evidence integrity
Once the initial stages of an investigation are complete, the focus shifts to evidence management and collaboration. Secure sharing, compliance, and data protection are non-negotiable elements in this phase.
Instead of dealing with cumbersome physical copies, digital evidence management systems ensure secure storage and sharing of video, images, and documents. This is crucial for ensuring evidence is admissible in court. Evidence that isn’t properly handled can be thrown out, which could waste resources and prevent justice from being served.
With digital evidence management systems, investigators can share case files with stakeholders at the click of a button, while strict access controls maintain data integrity and compliance. Cloud-based solutions allow public safety teams to share case files without physical copies, making the process faster and more secure.
Privacy and compliance features also ensure that collected evidence meets regulatory requirements. Automated redaction tools like facial masking help protect people’s privacy without compromising evidentiary integrity. Robust access controls determine who can view and modify footage, ensuring that only authorized personnel handle critical evidence.
Lastly, cybersecurity measures that are built into modern VMS platforms strengthen evidence protection. Features like end-to-end encryption, zero-trust security models, and real-time system monitoring prevent tampering and unauthorized access. Automated software updates help maintain the system’s health, ensuring that teams stay ahead of emerging cyber threats.
The future of investigations with the right VMS
A modern VMS goes beyond simple video surveillance, equipping teams with automation, AI-powered search tools, and data visualization to streamline investigations and improve accuracy.
It’s important to invest in an open architecture solution that allows you to unify your VMS system with other devices. A unified open architecture system is designed from the ground up to support integration. It allows third-party devices, analytics plugins, and other tools to work together seamlessly within a common framework.
By choosing flexible, unified systems that support a broad ecosystem of partners, public safety agencies can build the foundation for streamlined investigations. Whether tracking a suspect, reconstructing an event, or sharing evidence, the right VMS transforms security operations — protecting people, assets, and organizations more effectively.
