According to Access Control & Security Systems, the Glendale, Ariz., Police Department was responsible for selecting video surveillance to guard the 2008 NASCAR Spring Cup Series, which was held in April at the Phoenix International Raceway. The department's main goal, according to Mitch Kelsey, special operations supervisor for the Glendale PD, was to ensure public safety. Portable wireless video surveillance from AgileMesh of Richardson, Texas, was selected to help the department fulfill its mission.

"If surveillance is needed in a contained area for a short period of time, and it isn't necessary to install fixed or wire video cameras, our product is the solution," said Joe Stefan, CEO of AgileMesh. The technology operates around a Firetide wireless mesh radio. The units are supported by a tripod and feature a single- or dual-dome camera, which boasts pan/tilt/zoom capability, a 23x optical-zoom lens, and two levels of encryption to guarantee that the signal is protected. The raceway sits on 160 acres, so the department had to be selective about where they would place the cameras.

The main concourse was equipped with four cameras, while several others were employed inside the racetrack and on the roof. The system wirelessly sent broadcast-quality footage to the department's mobile command on the raceway property, where the video streams were watched in real-time to allow for a quick response to occurrences.

"The ability to deploy cameras rapidly, in the exact locations required, greatly improves our ability to respond to incidents effectively and prevent them from escalating," Kelsey said.