A local security company says artificial intelligence, or AI, helped police catch a burglary suspect this week.
As we reported on Wednesday, the Reno Police Department arrested a man for an alleged burglary at a construction site that morning.
In an exclusive with 2 News Nevada, Martin Ross Security says their technology helped law enforcement in their efforts.
The company has multiple cameras on this particular site, and they have all sorts of technology to detect suspicious behavior.
"The AI recognizes immediately that there is a human in that area, applies it to the rules, shouldn't be a human in that area, and then it notifies by popping up an alert in our in our monitoring area in front of the operator," said Jason Patterson, President of Martin Ross Security and Standpoint Systems, which is the company that helps with the AI.
The AI has only been in use with the cameras for a couple of years.
Before, the security company would receive several hundred reports from the surveillance cameras. However, more often than not it wouldn't be anything more than the wind blowing or a squirrel.
Now, the AI drastically cuts down those false reports.
"It improves that margin of error by probably 90 to 95 percent based on the effort of the programming," Patterson said.
Patterson says the use of AI has not gotten rid of any jobs, but it has just enhanced the workflow for current employees.
Especially for the communication specialist who initially sees the report. Once the specialist determines if a crime is being committed, they will then notify the dispatch station.
That's when Martin Ross will send one of its patrols or call the police.
The security company uses multiple types of cameras.
The AirPoint models are stocked with strobe lights and a speaker system that allows an operator to talk to people. Patterson says that feature is usually 90 percent effective, but the other 10 percent is when enforcement has to be called.
This time, a much more expensive option was used.
"We can really zoom in, let's say 1000 feet at night and capture what is happening in a scene," Patterson said. "This represents the 360-degree portion. So, there are actually five cameras in one in this."
Patterson says they have more than 60 units of some kind in the community, with about 300 views. He believes this gives his clients better care because it helps fill in the gaps when the patrol isn't there.
He says the different cameras work better depending on the infrastructure of the building.
Patterson says the evidence from the cameras will be used in court testimony on this case.
